The Thing That Not Expected
by youisverybad
Summary: From episode "Triage". A 'what if' fanfic. What would happen if Raf and Ratchet's plan didn't go as exactly as they hope. What if it made a hole need to be filled on a certain communicator cheif. And what will Bumblebee do when his friend was captured and changed to suit the decepticon's cause. Soundwave/Bumblebee/Rafael. Warning: Character death.
1. The loss

Soundwave had not been amused.

Not by a little bit.

After he completely disabled the autobot treat that designation known as Wheeljack, he got a SOS call from Laserbeak that her location had been compromise and been captured. He didn't have time finish his job with that white red autobot scum nor he want to lose his time while Lasorbeak might be in danger. Soundwave shifted to his jet form and flew away to her location immediately.

When he got there he saw Laserbeak in plain sight….in the center of jungle….on the open field. At first it seem too much suspicious…like a scraplets trap….but he can't put his mind to that theory right now. He coped his damaged velvet blue symbiote in his arms and pay no attention to his skeptical surrounding and lay off to the decepticon base instantly.

He didn't report his success retrieve of the relic to his commander when he onboard but got his precious birdbot to repaired by the medic firsthand. Knockout didn't have his trust in loyalty to his leader from him but his medical skill is true. Laserbeak was back to her shape in mere second and that make him respect about the medic's skill even more…but the doubt about his loyalty was still the same, he will not get a few favor to affect his judgment.

He watched Laserbeak try to move her wing and successfully fly up in to the air. She chirped happily above his head and Soundwave gave her a relieve smile trough their bonds. He didn't want to interrupt her cheerfulness but it would be best for him to stop her before she accidently fly into some medical tools in medbays and made some complication to him and Knockout so he told her to land on to his chassis.

But something clicked in Soundwave's mind about the way he found Laserbeak in the first place. A little bird symbiote…damaged…on a plain sight to view. Soundwave didn't earn his trust and commotion from lord Megatron by always look pass this informations. He need…have to be careful about everything include his little friend here. When Laserbeak connect to his chassis, he didn't connect his mind to her immediately. He sent a scan protocol through her system for any unusual activity. He actually found something suspicious enough in her system. It's a virus that not only look like her normal data and easily to overlook but cleverly enough to try to attack on his system when it had been found. His firewall not even been dent by the assault and grab the foreign code then store it in quarantine zone for him to examine.

The virus code almost seem…familiar. Like he been interacted with this kind of code before. Then it hit him, he had seen this code try to interfere with his hacking data from the human's server room. That insolent code gave him problem enough to had him to deal with the code's source directly and if he surprise when he found out that the problem was actually a kid. A human kid that had brown wavy hair named Raf or Rafael if Soundwave recall it correctly. Normally he wouldn't pay a mind about his enemy's identity but to have such a skill at this early age, this human is a true genius even with his standard and all of decepticon officer known that his standard is not easily reach. It's a shame that if he not run a scan on Laserbeak's system, this virus would have easily bypass his security system through their connection and sent the data about iacon relic location to the autobots without him even noticing. Soundwave deleted the virus and connect to his symbiote fully and about to walk to his commander for reporting about his success retrieval.

BAM!

At first it felt like a heavy push on his chest and then a sound came after it in a millisecond. A blast sent him fly and crash to the wall. Warning shown on his visor like a mad text. The data shown that his chassis was heavenly damaged but his spark was still safe and sound.

"What happened out here?" Knockout followed the sound from his medbays to found the spy master lay down on the ground with his burning chassis. "Oh scrap! Soundwave!" The medic immediately do what his job has to do, treating the patient.

Soundwave let Knockout doing his job. Right now his system still force in and out of emergency recharge because of the damage. Even by a very skillful Knockout, it still take almost hour to restore his body to let him out of emergency recharge. When he snap out of it, he found that he slept on a medical bed. Soundwave look around to determine the situation and found that Knockout was still fixing his chassis.

The pain on his chest is too much and that made him falling in to a recharge again but he felt like something missing….something very important to him. He try to remember what had he overlook but when he know what was wrong he almost wish that he should forget instead.

Laserbeak

He couldn't feel her present anywhere. In medbey…On decepticon carrior…Or even he sent the scan through the entire planet he still couldn't find her. It felt like his spark have a hole in there and if he can't find her soon he afraid that hole will torn apart his spark soon.

"Knockout…" Even his mind went through hell right now, his voice was still the same emotionless like ever. Because he will never let anyone saw his weakness…even lord Megatron.

The medic stop his work and look at his way when he heard the sound. "What are you doing? Don't you see that I am working here? So if you please be helpful and let the recharge embrace your spark, it would be a lot easier for me to doing my job."

Soundwave paid no mind for Knockout's request. "Laserbeark….location"

Then the face of moody medic change into a frown. It's not helping Soundwave to calm down his mind at all. "Look Soundwave, this is not the right moment to discuss about this. Your body need a fully medical treatment before anything else."

"Laserbeak: Location"

Knockout sighed "Fine, if you want it that way. She's not around here anymore."

"Laserbeak: Where?"

The red con bit his lips "Dude, I don't know that you are ready for this"

"Laserbeak: WHERE?" Even his emotionless voice, his last word still sent a thrilled down to the medic's spark.

"She's not on this world anymore…She's dead" Knock said with sad expression.

…..

…..

Silent.

That was that come after the medic's sentence. Knockout had guess what to expect from letting the news go but the silent is not one of them. He not sure that he should continue doing his job while the bot remain still or should get out of here before the rampage began.

But the rampage never came.

So Knockout grab the tool and continue fix the communicator's chassis.

Still only silent.

But in Soundwave's mind is another thing. When he heard the news, his hole in his spark disappear. But it took something in his spark to gone with it too and the missing part made the feeling hurt even more. He screamed in his mind, try to not believe in those words but it still came back and stab him like a missile through the chest. The pain on his body is little thing when look at the pain inside. The pain of his loss, The pain of loneliness it stuck him and almost drive him to madness.

She's dead.

Why? Why she has to die? Why not him? How could it happen? Sounwave recall the video comlink through his harddrive. It saw like the blast come from inside Laserbeak herself and that made her blast off in to pieces. The pain growing each replay he had seen. And he found only one explanation to this incident.

Autobot.

They will pay.


	2. The capture

Rafael not in his best condition right now .

He had been worse but this still not a pleasant feeling to deal with.

He killed Laserbeak.

It's not like he had his hand kill her by himself exactly but he had beem=n in the plan the lead to her destruction. When Laserbeak's life sigh had disappear from his computer, he knew instantly what had happened.

The bomb had gone off.

That wasn't even in the plan, hell everybody didn't expect that to coming…even Ratchet. At first they think Soundwave would notice the bomb first then overlook the virus but it end up reverse instead.

He killed a living being.

That thought alone made him almost thrown up his breakfast. Normally his face look paler than any other kids but now it pale as the snow itself. Ratchet didn't end up better than him. Truthfully the medic look worse than him three or four time. The rightful of his duty to save the life didn't help either. Even life of the enemy it's still a life. No matter who they are or what they have done. The thought still haunted him through time at school and when it end he didn't wait around to let anyone saw his ill face any further.

"Raf…are you okay?" A voice came from his back.

He look over his shoulder to see Jack approach from behind. Despite jack's worries, he didn't want his problem to fell down on the other. "Thanks for asking jack but I'm fine…really" His voice sound weak like its weight.

"Okay…if you said so" Jack lay off the topic easily but Rafael know that he actually didn't want to let him feel uncomfortable from his question. Then he jump on to blue motorcycle known as Arcee in disguise. "Will you come around the base today?"

Raf shook his head "No, I already told Bee that I want to rest for a bit. Maybe a day or a week till I really want to there again."

Jack face frown at those words. "What happened to both you and Ratchet? The two of you doesn't seem the same after we loss the that third iacon relic."

"We…had face a problem of our own." Raf didn't want to tell Jack about what had happened. Atleast not right now. "I just want to take a brak from this whole thing for a bit that's all."

Jack still had his still suspicious on his face then he shrugged his shoulder. "It's not my decision to make so I will respect that you don't want me to take a part into this" then he lean closer to Raf's face "But you have to know that you don't have to bare your problem on the shoulder alone. There always a people ready to lend a hand to you. It will be easier to share your problem with others because we are friend and friend help those friend who in need. That's all"

Rafael look into Jack's eyes and saw only truthfulness in them. "Thanks Jack. That's mean a lot to me but…This is something that only I can dealt with right now so…maybe other time perhaps? Then maybe that I can share the information with you." He said with a sad smile.

Jack nodded his head "I told you that I respect your decision so you can tell me when you ready and I hope to see you around the base very soon" He put his helmet on. "And always remember, your friends are always ready to help you." Then Jack and Arcee took off into the road.

Raf sighed with a relieve. He's really glad that he had Jack as friend. The black head teenager always has a way with his talk to made everybody around him calmer. He already feel better alone from that conversation. Maybe he should tell him about what happened…about what he and Ratchet did.

Then he heard a sound.

It's like a sound of something coming to his way really fast but before he can even turn back to look at it, he feel like he been swoop up from the ground and then blackness is the only thing in his vision.

….

The sound of something moving awoke him. Something metallic. Rafael opened his eyes to look at his surroundings to found that he is in some kind of metallic medical room. He tried to move his arms but found that it been trapped in a bracelet that glue to the bed and his legs also been trapped too. He then tried to use his little strength to break free but the thing didn't yield even a millimeter. He felt a presence on his left so he move to loo at that way to found Soundwave standing there.

Now Rafael knew what happened to him. He been kidnapped by the TLC communicator and he knew why he been kidnapped and that knowledge didn't made him feel better, worse it made him feel fear. "Err…Hello… "

Soundwave didn't move, didn't speak, didn't response.

Sweat start to show on Raf's face. He didn't like this kinf of expression at all. This expression kind of tell you that he is deeply calm or he is in the completely madness that not even the word could describe it. "Where am I?" He thought it would be best to start with simpliest question.

"Decepticon base"

The human's face show the surprise that he actually get the answer. "Why did you bring me here?" Rafael let the question flow even he already knew the answer.

"Punish and Redemption" The emotionless sound answered.

Raf knew what punish is for but the redemption? "What redemption?"

The visor on Soundwave's face didn't move when he answered. "To regain what had loss"

Now that only made the question in Raf's mind grew even more. He want to question his kidnapper again but the decepticon only move away to show what was behind him.

It was the body but not just any body, it was the body of Laserbeak. Everything on the body look exactly normal like it should had been, the wings, the blue color, and the tail. Only one thing was missing.

Life.

"Laserbeak spark: missing. Need replacement." A monotone voice came from behind him.

Rafael look at the body again. Then he saw saome sort of cable connect to the chest of the lifeless body. He look follow the where the cable will go and end up looking up above his head. Then he feel Soundwave attach something like helmet to his head.

Now he knew what the meaning of redemption.

"Wait! Soundwave I'm sorry!" He heard Soundwave step away from him. "I'm truly sorry what happened to Laserbeak. I didn't want it to end in that way. I just want a distraction for my virus to get into your system. I didn't want her to die!" He wait for a reply but not a single sound come from the con.

Then a reply came.

"Soundwave doesn't care."

Then his world went blank.


	3. the thing

_System online….._

_Boot base code data…._

_Boot motion data…_

_Boot memory core data…._

_Calculating…_

_Synchronization…._

_Awakening…_

Rafael didn't like those sound that appeared in his head. It didn't sound like it's source was from outside but really came from inside his head, literally. He felt strange…very very strange. First of all, when he tried to open his eyes, it didn't move like the way it normally did. The move of his eyelids felt like some heavy shuttle that open by motor function. Second, his vision was definitely not the same. It filled with many text and data of his surroundings…like he always calculate those that he see. He tried to make some sense about this and recalled what had happened to him. He remembered school…then some talking with Jack…then blackness...then later he found out that he's in a decepticon base with Soundwave.

Now that made his eyes wide open.

With his panicking he tried to move his arms, but couldn't feel it anywhere. Not that his arms were numb or anything but he REALLY couldn't find his arms. He then tried to move his legs and found it missing too. His panic grew into fear. Raf would go into a shock if he not found a new feeling first, a feel that seem like to replace where his arms used to be. It felt like something flat alongside his body. He tried to move it but to no avail it not even budge. He searched for something around to help him from this situation. He looked at the moving ground below and found nothing useful. He searched the wall and still found it's the same useless metallic that surrounded his vision.

Wait? A ground was moving?

He looked down below to check what he had seen and saw the metallic ground move pass him by every second. He then felt that the ground that was moving but he himself was actually the one that moved. Raf knew that it was not him that moving, to hell he didn't has any legs right now. And when he thought about this, he actually felt like he attached to something and that thing was definitely the one that moved for him. He tried to examine the thing that attached to his chest but his body blocked it from view. And mostly it's seem like he the one that attached to something's chest because it's size was four or five time bigger than his. He can't find anyway to look through his body to examine the connection so he set his eyes to go up instead.

And met eyes to visor with Soundwave.

Rafael tried to shriek away from the con but it seem he couldn't get off Soundwave's chassis by himself. It almost like he himself was just plate of armor for Soundwave….like the way Laserbeak had been. The event from when he been black out came back to his mind and gave him enough idea to guess what just happened.

Soundwave moved his mind into Laserbeak's body.

He didn't know that could be possible or not but it was the only explanation that sound legit enough for him to believed. He look at his reflection on the metallic wall that came pass by, and saw what to look like a normal Soundwave and his Laserbeak attach to his chassis like any other days. The alarm went off in Raf's mind. He need to get out…get back to his friend, they would know how to bring him back to his body. He again tried to get away from the spy master's chassis but it almost like his body didn't listen to him anymore.

From time to time, Rafael gave up and stopped his struggle foe escape. Then he felt Soundwave entered the room. This room filled with many alien's computer console and big blue hologram display the image of his world, Earth. _Maybe this is the command center _Raf thought.

Soundwave walked to his console then let his feeler out to connect through the port under it. This was the first time that Raf could look at Soundwave's feeler tentacle this close and didn't have to worry about it strangled him. He look at the display on the monitor and saw some sort encoded data on the screen. Rafael see the code been decoded by Soundwave one by one, it's not very fast if been observed by non-expert but Raf knew how much complicate this code are. How much work that gave to encoded it. Sure, He knew he can decoded it but not as fast at this con. Although Soundwave's decoded speed was fast but it would take the con at least two months to complete it all. The human in symbiote body lose himself to the data in front of him. He even let his mind wonder how to deal with this code…what connection to that file and those around them. He didn't even notice that Soundwave decode speed was increase a lot faster when he let his mind loose.

Then the harsh voice from behind broke their focused.

"Soundwave" A voice that sent shrilled to Rafael's spine…if he still had one. Soundwave turned back to saw his leader approach to him. "I heard the news that you successfully retrieved the iacon relic from Starscream. What did surprise me is that why wouldn't you told me the news by yourself?" Megatron's red eyes seem to flare up with hidden rage. "Or you want to keep the relic all to yourself?"

Soundwave bowed his head down. "Sounwave: Apologize. The relic : Not urgent. Soundwave : Med bays." Then spy's hand present the relic to his lord.

Rage in Megatron's eyes seem to subside. The decepticon leader grabbed the relic and examine it in his hand. A smile appear on the dark lord face. "Ofcourse! My lieutenant's health come first before anything else Soundwave…but only if the mission was succeed and you did it so. You never let me down before and make sure to continue to do so. What about the iacon database? How did it go?"

"The next relic location reveal time: Next 7 cycles" The communicator answered his commander.

"A week then…" Megatron tapped his chin. "The data still is in our hands. I don't want my lieutenant to work out himself when he still got his injury. Rest when you see fit Soundwave but give me the next location at least in two weeks and don't disappoint me because my mercy is limit."

Soundwave bowed his head again. "Thank you my lord."

Megatron nodded his head then left his soldier behind.

Even he been told to take some brake time, Soundwave continued to do his job for a little while. During this, Raf also lost his mind from escaping to the alien's technology around him. It took almost two or three hours for Soundwave stop doing his job and break the former human from his amusement. The spy master walked back the way that Raf remember from before. He saw many decepticon that he already met along the way, most of them are vehicons, some are insecticons, he also noticed Dreadwing and Knockout, but he didn't know why Knockout seem almost like surprise when he look at him on Soundwave's chassis. Rafael didn't know that he assumed it wrong but it seem like most of the crew in this base _terrified…scared…crept out _when they had seen Soundwave.

Soundwave opened the door and get in the room. The room had nothing specialize in itself, it had only normal metallic bed, a workbench, a screen and command pad. Despite the room's space, that was all furniture of it. If Raf didn't know better, he would have thought that this is a prison cell. The con sat down on a chair next to his workbench and look right into Raf's eyes.

"Laserbeak: report to creator." Suddenly, Soundwave spoke.

Raf knew that Laserbeak had gone, and now he look exactly like Laserbeak, so he knew that the con was talking to him…and referred him as Laserbeak. _You want to play one of those game huh?_

"Laserbeak: Report to creator" He said it again.

Raf tried to goggle his eyes but failed. _I would have scolded at you if I could speak._

Soundwave tilted his head. "Laserbeak: Already communicated."

Now that would have him made a wide eyes…if he could. _You…can hear me?_

"Soudwave and Laserbeak: Already bonded. The communication through mind ability: Available." The sound made it feel like an obvious thing.

_One, I didn't know that I can talk to you. Two, I am not Laserbeak! _Raf yelled in his mind.

The visor on Soundwave's face shook a little at those last words. "Your body: Laserbeak's. You designation: Laserbeak."

The former human frown in his mind. _But my mind isn't! Let me go! Change me back right now! _

"Laserbeak: Inappropriate act. Has to be punish." Then the link cut off.

At first Raf didn't know what had happened. Then it hit him…and it hit him hard. It was like something nobody would know they had it till they lost it. This situation was the same. He felt like something had been cut off…something that gave him steady mind…something that gave it presence to made him feel like himself…something that he didn't know that he had it. When he had lost that, it felt like the world are falling apart, the pain…the very miserable pain on the thing that acted like his heart known as spark. It's unbearable. He had tried to scream, but only successful in his mind. He had tried to reach out to what had been lost, but couldn't find anything…only pain…pain…

Then everything came back to normal.

The thing…the bond…the connection came back. _What…just…happened? _Even the pain was no more, the aftershock made his word staggering.

"Punishment"

Raf had to let that word to sink in around two minutes till it been registered by his mind. _For what? Not response to the name that not mine?_

The visor hade redder tint in it. "Laserbeak: Disobeying orders. Has to be punish"

_No! _Raf yelled in his mind. _Please no…not again._

Soundwave didn't do anything. The bond had not been cut off.

"Laserbeak: report to crator." The first sentence appeared again.

….

….

Silent.

….

….

_Yes… _A weak voice spoke in their shared mind. _creator…._


	4. the presence

It's been three days since he got his new body.

Three days to learn that Soundwave not the one who you want to pissed off.

After the first conversation, Raf learned that the cause of his immobilize body was the command code that Soundwave put in his system. He couldn't move till Soundwave would allow. He tried every possible way to escape from this body…from his prison but tried as his might, the code was strong and didn't dent by a force of his will. When he had tried his little rebellion, The con would cut the connection with him and the pain appear again. He had tried to bear it by himself, and end up pleading him to stop it every time.

He felt lifeless…like an object for someone to play and toss away when they bored. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. Only a prisoner on a warden's chassis. He want his life back…want his body back. He want to see his friend again…want to see his parents again. He cried out in his mind but on the outside not a single drop had fallen. His mind snapped like a crazy man but the body was still being motionless. His only hope left was that his friends would notice about his disappear and sent a search for him. It was the only thing that keep his sanity intact.

But he didn't know how much he could take before he began to broke.

* * *

At autobot base.

All members include humans were all had a seriousness on their faces. Not even the lively one like Miko had a smile in her face. They all worried about the missing of their friend. No one had a single clue where Raf had gone. Even the parents didn't see him back home since three days ago. They searched along the way from school to his home but not even his hair had been found…like he vanished in to thin air.

"It could be Decepticon." Bulkhead said. "Or M.E.C.H."

"Or just any normal child kidnapper." Miko added.

"I don't think so." Jack made his comment. "He had been missing for three days. If it was a normal smuggler, they would call and make a demand to child's parent but they never got any call."

"So it was about personal motive." Ratchet said. "Still, I don't know who want to kidnap a kid like Raf."

"Bloob Bleep Blop Bleep!" An inorganic voice come from the yellow and black stripe bot.

"I know that he can understand you and has a promising skill on hacking, Bumblebee" Bulkhead told his yellow friend. "But Decepticon already has Soundwave so his skill would has no meaning to them."

"So that would leave only the M.E.C.H. then." Optimus conclusion.

Jack shook his head. "Raf know where the location of this base so they would really want to extract this information from him."

"So are the M.E.C.H." Miko added.

"So we come back at the beginning huh?" Ratchet said angrily. "Knowing nothing and try to find a clue on this big large world."

Optimus tapped on his friend's shoulder. "Easy Rathet. Everybody here are all worry about Rafael not you alone."

"Boop Bleep Bleep Blop" Bumble communicate through his broken vocal cord.

"You can't find him by yourself alone Bumblebee." Optinus now turned to look at the yellow bot. "We can't risk one of us to be ambush on a situation like this…not like Rafael."

"Boob Bleep!" Then Bumblebee changed into his vehicle form.

"Wait Bumblebee!" But Optimus couldn't reach to the bot in time and everyone saw the urbana 500 went through the exit.

"We can't stop him, Optimus." Jack said to the red and blue autobot leader. "He is raf's guardian, and he must feel responsible for what happened to him. We better let him calm down first."

"But we can't let him loose out like that." Optimus seem to not like the idea. "We should stick together and search for Rafael that is the way to ensure everyone safety."

"We have to race with the time here Optimus." Miko reasoned. "Every time that passed mean more danger can happen to Raf right now."

Optimus didn't anwered but he still gave a nodded that he understand their reasons. "I know but we have to focus the search on one thing at a time like this. We can't spread our troop to search at both placr at the same time."

"Why?" Bulkhead asked.

"Because if something happen to one of us, the other can go to help them in time right?" Said Miko.

"Yes, and we must choose which side to look on first."

"I vote Decepticon" Said Bulkhead.

"I think it's M.E.C.H." Miko disagreed.

"I choose Decepticon." Jack made his choice.

"I think M.E.C.H is more dangerous than Decepticon for our little friend." Said Optimus.

Now everybody in the room gazed their eyes on the medic.

"Err…I…I think I will go with…M.E.C.H." Ratchet added the final conclusion to the vote.

"So we go for M.E.C.H. first." Said Miko.

Jack nodded. "Then Decepticon."

"Yeah!" They throw their hand in the air and yelled. Only the orange and white bot that felt like he made the wrong choice all of the sudden. Like the decepticon had more reason to kidnap Raf than their base's location but he brushed it off his mind. The choice had been made after all.

* * *

He had stopped crying.

But he didn't overcome his sadness.

Instead he was falling down to the bottom in his mind.

He was running away from everything…running from his new prison body…running from his captive…running away from his life. He gave up. His will to break free was lost. He trapped himself in his mind, not interest in anything around him anymore. He just…was there. Only his presence was known but his mind is in deep of sadness of his own.

Then he felt a presence.

A presence that appeared out of nowhere. The feeling around it gave an intimidate feeling but also had a warm that comfort his sadness away in it. He didn't know what it was but he jump at the presence like a fly flew attract to the light. When he was near it, it felt like his sadness melt away. It felt safe…like home. The presence gave an aura that gave him a protect shelter from his emotion. He felt free and happier. When his emotion state came back to normal, the precense had noticed this and disappeared.

Rafael came back from his own mind.

_What is that? _He asked to himself. He didn't know what that is, but he really appreciate its help, who or whatever that it is. It helped him came back before he lost himself.

_Thank you._

He only sent those thought away and didn't expect any response. But it's there, he feel that presence gave up some feeling back and it gave his heart…spark warm up. Then he that presence disappear again. Raf tried to look around for anything that might be his savior but saw only a vehicon that pass by and Soundwave still working on the iacon decoding. _Is it Soundwave? _Raf asked himself in his mind. _What am I thinking? He is the one who did this to me in the first place. It couldn't be him. It just…it couldn't be._

_Or could he?_

He didn't get any answered from himself or any other thing that might heard his thinking. He expect something…anything to give him an answer or even just some tiny hint. But nothing happened after that. He still stuck to Soundwave's chassis like he had been for four days. The different is his mind now steady, not clouded by his negative emotion anymore. He would find a way to escape this place with or without anyhelp from his friend. Because right now, his fighting spirit was back and he would never give up like that again.

* * *

Note: I feel really tired when I am writing this. sorry for the lack of details.


	5. the realize

The routine on the decepticon base was going on normally.

Everything went peacefully with the con's life after their leader decided to lay low till the next relic location is decoded. In another word, there will be no fight till Soundwave found a new relic's location. Most of the crew didn't want to fight head on with the autobot and risk their life so they all prey that spy master would take some break but all of them already knew that the word "Soundwave" and "Resting" didn't go together.

But all of decepticon's officers had to come check their health once in a week so that let Soundwave end up in medbay checking his health, involuntary.

"Come on Soundwave." Knockout grabbed his tools and started polishing the dark blue tint mech. "It's not that bad to have come to see a doctor in a while."

Soundwave was sitting still on patient's bed. "Soundwave: Already scan his functioning. Result: Heathy."

The red medic rolled back his eyes. "What if your scanner is the one that got problem? That not an excuse for you to use avoiding to check your armor or your system in a while. Beside, who want to deny some free polishing?"

Soundwave didn't answer and only gave something like a glared to Knockout. It would be effective if Knockout could see pass his visor.

"And I also have some medical term question with you." The red mech tapped his finger on to Soundwave's chassis, where Laserbeak was at. "How can she be alive?"

Knockout didn't get any response from him. The medic sighed "I know what I had saw Soundwave and I know that pieces of body didn't left any spark in it."

"Laserbeak: Soundwave's problem. Knockout: Outsider." An emotionless voice answered.

"I'm not outsider to this, Soundwave." The red mech stopped his polishing on the other's armor. "I was on the scene when all of that happened and I want to know how on cybertron that she are right here still one piece in front of me."

Soundwave didn't give the answer instantly. Instead it almost look like he just taking a breath moment, "Laserbeak: Fixed. Soundwave: Repairer"

A silent came after that for a short while then Knockout broke it. "I'm the doctor here Soundwave. When I said someone died, they already died. Even you fixed her body up to be the same but her spark had already gone. You can't fix anyone who already lost their spark."

Soundwave's visor danced some code in front like he was calculating something. When the code had stopped, He turn his head to look at the medic. "Laserbeak: survive, but not the same."

"What?" Knockout gave a dumbfound face.

"She's now a he."

The medic's jaw dropped. All of motion in the medbay seem to stop, even the wind. "Did you just say…you replaced Laserbeak's spark…with someone else's?"

"Correct."

Knockout dropped the polisher to the ground. The red mech didn't even move his eyes from the communicator to check at the fallen tools if it broken. "I know you are really fond of her, but you can't just replace her like that. It didn't bring her back. He's a whole new person. Damn it Primus, She's already died, Soundwave. You have to realize that she already died!" The medic yelled at him in hope that his words would make his listener to understand.

Unknown to him, his words made a hole in Soundwave's spark.

A hole that made Raf an opportunity.

* * *

He had wait for this moment for a long time. A moment where the mech dropped down his guard. He used that hole on his captive's spark to push his mind through that. In a blink of an eyes, Rafael had enter into Soundwave's system. He planned to find something like information about his immobilize code here or find some way to control Soundwave instead, Let's see the look on his visor when he turn the table. Around him was a raw data of all thing that had been describe as Soundwave's experience and personality. He would have to do some learning on this code before he could follow his plan.

Then the pain hit him.

Before Raf could scream, He realized that it not his pain that he feel. It was Soundwave's. If his pain when Soundwave broke the bond is something that he already can't bearable, this pain he saw was something so madness…so crazy that he couldn't believe that it exist on this world. He didn't know anything would stay sane after witness those pains, even that thing was a machine. Raf felt like he had thrown a rock from his chest to not experience those pains by himself. He would simply gone mad after a first second. To his curious, Rafael followed the direction the pain went to. At the end of the road, he saw a mind.

A Soundwave's mind.

The thing is like a tiny light in the endless darkness. The pains envelope around its surrounding. But to Raf's surprise, the light didn't gave up to those darkness that tried to swallow it whole. Like a hope that's always shine it bright to make its own future. Even how strong this light was, the darkness was more vicious, more potent and much more in numbers. The light's body started to shake by its new found fear. The pain seep in through that single show of weakness. The light brightness dimmed rapidly. Its white color seem to dulled into gray faster and faster. Even he knew that was his enemy. Despite all of thing that the mech had done to him, Rafael really want to help that mech's mind in front of him. The darkness then changed into a form that had more effect to its prey. A picture of Laserbeak's death, blast, lost been appeared around the light. It lost it color faster than ever, most of it was the same color of blackness right now. Raf tried as hard as he could not to feel sorry for his former captor. He had to focus on his life…his body…his friends…his parents. They all waiting for him to coming back. Then he felt the almost black thing's presence.

A very familiar presence.

Before Raf could stopped himself, He dived into the storm of blackness…to save that light. He ignored some of the pain that changed it target to him. Normally those pains would made him struggle on the ground and begging for mercy but strangely, the darkness seem to vaporized when tried to touch his mind. He dived deeper and deeper till the former light was infront of him, only a little of its normal color was shown. Raf didn't wait his mind to made some sense in to this, he reached his mind's hand out and touched it.

The presense connected to his mind.

Raf couldn't explain it. It's like the presense had something missing in itself. Then he let the presence pulled him in to fill that space of void and he not even felt surprise when he fitted it perfectly. The feeling of peacefulness, comfort, and safeness enter his mind like the way he remembered. He knew that the presence felt like this through their bond too.

The presence shone out a brightness that could blind the sun's eyes.

Then Rafael's vision show that he was back at the same position as Laserbeak.

He back onto the same chassis…the same immobilize…the same prison.

"Hey Soundwave! Are you okay? You seem like a dead mech a moment right there." An annoying voice ring to his newly awaken hearing sensor.

He felt the body that he was resting on moved and stood up from the bed. Soundwave looked at his surrounding like he had saw it for the first time. Then he met his gaze with Raf's…and they only just…stare at each other's for a long time…like they both didn't sure that it was a dream or it actually happened.

"Hey I'm asking you! Would you please pay attention to me before I restrict you for have an error in your system." Knockout waved his hand in front of Soundwave's visor.

"Soundwave:…..fine. Has something to attain to." The dark blue tint mech didn't give any more explanation about what happened to the red mech and hurry left the medbay.

The walking to Soundwave's quarter was quiet, both outside and inside the mind. Raf would call this an awkward situation…yes…a really awkward one.

When they were in the quarter, Raf ready prepared his mind for the punishment….but nothing happened. Only silent filled the almost empty room. Raf did the only thing that he could, waiting till the other broke the silent.

"Laserbeak: Reason for helping Soundwave?" The mech began with a question.

Raf didn't know what to answered. He just…did it when he notice Soundwave's presence. _I don't know…I just did it. I tried not to help you and I failed. Seem like every of my trying end up in a failure._

Soundwave didn't laugh at that sarcasm. "Why came in Soundwave's spark?"

At this point, Raf didn't care about what the truth would affect him. He had the freedom in his hand and he let it go, he's such a loser. _It's seem like a best idea you know? Looking for an escape, a way to hijack your body. I get my body back then go home._

The mech gave no emotion show that Raf could notice for that answer. Infact it almost seem like Soundwave already expected that. The mech moved his hand above Raf's point of view. He closed his eyes, ready for the pain. Instead he felt like he had been lift up.

Soundwave detached him from his chassis!

Rafael made a wide eyes to this event. His mind frozen from the shock till another shock hit his mind. _Wait! I can move my eyelids!_

"Soundwave: gave permission. Laserbeak: moveable." Soundwave lifted him up till the visor came to hie eye sight.

This was the first time in his new body that Raf actually could move. He tried to move his wings, then he saw dark blue metallic sharp plate came into view. He tried to moved his claws, then he feel Some of Soundwave's armor plate gave away when those sharpness test its new power. He tried to move his head, then he came to meet eyes to visor with Soundwave.

"Laserbeak: Feeling?"

Strangely, Rafael didn't feel like oppose to that name the way he used to. In fact, He now felt comfortable to be calling like that, like it his own real name. When this came to his mind, the guilt from his sin also came back to him. He's the one that been in the plan lead to Laserbeak's demise. He's the one that cause Soundwave those horrible pain.

_I'm…fine _Even he detached from his chassis, the link of their bond still connected to each other. _I have…a question._

"Laserbeak: Allow to question"

_I know that you were the one that safe me from…losing myself on that day. _Raf recalled about the day that he met a mysterious presence._ I just want to know why? I am the one that responsible for what happened to Laserbeak. Why would you help the person who gave you those pains?_

At first, Soundwave just stay still like a statue. Rafael tried to read the mech emotion from his dark tint visor. Till a voice was made from the vocal sensor. "Soundwave: Only want Laserbeak back. But Laserbeak was gone… Feeling of incomplete…Feeling of pain. Have to fill in what had loss. Soundwave captured the cause. Replace the void with the cause. Soundwave got Laserbeak back. Never want to cause pain…but has to. The cause had to learn…had to know the pain…only a little of it. Soundwave didn't expected the cause's mindset to fallout. Didn't want that. Didn't want to lose Laserbeak again. Soundwave helped the cause. Through that, Soundwave complete again."

Raf lower his head down at those answer. _So you just want to be a replacement huh?_

"Correct and Wrong"

_What?_

"Soundwave: believe in redemption. Through its sin, the thing was incomplete. Through redemption only, the thing will be complete again. The cause was incomplete. Sounwave was incomplete. Both fill in the void of others. Through that, both will be complete again." Soundwave answered with his emotionless voice.

_I…I don't understand _Raf said through their link _It almost sound like you tried to help us both._

"Correct" Soundwave confirmed Raf's word.

_It's…hard to believe. _

The mech gave response to that sentence with a question he first asked the former human. "Laserbeak: Reason for helping Sounwave?"

Raf tried his best to describr his feeling into the words. _I think…because I would feel really bad for letting you die. I can't bear to live with all of those guilts on my shoulders. _

"Trough redemption only, the thing will be complete." The mech said those words again.

_I think…I understand it now. _Raf didn't know if all of the speak was true or not. But his feeling told him that he could trust Soundwave. And he knew that he connect his mind to the mech too much to let any of them separate right now. He used motion data in his body to change form and attached back to Soundwave's chassis. _So…what's next?_

Soundwave walk and rest on his berth. "Soundwave and Laserbeak: Continue to assist till the redemption is complete."

Raf…Laserbeak nodded in his mind. _Yes….creator._

* * *

Note: didn't expect Soundwave to talk that much, did we?


	6. the after

He didn't expected thing would end up like this.

Not even a single thought.

Rafael or now Laserbeak still wanted his human life back…his human body back. He still wanted to escape from this hell hole and leaved every painful memory behind his back. He still wanted to see his friends and family again. He wanted to be the same normal kid with a normal life and a little unique friends.

But he couldn't.

He couldn't leave the decision he had made. He couldn't lie to himself and hoped that everything will be the same after this. He couldn't leave his responsibility and continue living with the guilt in his mind.

He couldn't leave Soundwave behind.

After yesterday, their bond and connection grew stronger. He knew it would be possible to separate them now. It like two pieces of perfectly fit jigsaws had been glued together. He filled the void of Soundwave's lost, Soundwave fill in his void to lesser his guilt. They both needed each other to stay sane unless he wanted to end up in asylum and Soundwave's a broken circuits.

_It was the only way. _Strangely, he didn't feel any sadness from those words…actually it made him feel proud of his decision.

What made him really surprise was how fast he can cope up with his new role. Only yesterday that he still cried like an endless waterfall in his mind, today he happily sang a song in his mind on the mech's chassis while Soundwave was walking to the command center.

_Laserbeak: The communication meaning? _The spy master asked through their bond.

Laserbeak stopped humming his song. _Oh this? It calls music. You know it's kind of bored, stuck on your chest, doing nothing._

The bot still continued his walking and tilted his head. _Music: designation?_

_Wha…Oh…oof…ha ha ha! _A laughing filled in their connection. _Oh…sorry. _He stopped when he noticed Soundwave's annoyed. _It just something uses to express human's emotion._

_Why not through a normal communication? _Asked Soundwave.

_Because human sound can't express all of their emotion. They use another tools like drums, guitar, bass, piano and another lot of instrument to help them show their felling, and it made the listener feel relieve like they are not alone in this world. _The former human tried to describe its meaning all he could but he still felt that it's not enough. _Why don't you try listen some of it by yourself. I knew you can connect to human's internet connection so why don't you download one of it and try it on._

Soundwave had stopped walking and stayed still like a minute. Laserbeak knew that the mech had followed his advice and was now loading the file. When he had started walking again, the symbiote heard a song through their mind.

It was a song about despair, about losing somebody you love. It was sad…far too sad for them after what had happened. Laserbeak worried that this might make his creator fall down to the despair like the song. He rushed in to Soundwave's mindscape and found an unbelievable thing.

Soundwave's presence was letting out a river of a data.

If he didn't know he was in Soundwave's spark, he would think that it is tears…._wait I think it is really tears! _His presence sat in awe at what he had seen. Then the song stopped.

The presence noticed him.

_Oh crap! _Laserbeak shouted his mind out in fear._ I'm dead! _His presence squeezed itself down to a size of a little ball, ready and expect to get a blow from an emotion burst.

Instead, he felt only a gentle pushed and he was in his body again.

_Wha… _He tried to form a word. _Are you…not mad? _He asked, his voice still fill in with fear.

The emotionless visor looked directly at him. _Soundwave: No reason to be mad. The song…was soothing. Soundwave: Pain relieved._

It took a minute to let the meaning get into the former human's mind. It took another minute for him to finally form a sentence. _So you…like it?_

_Soundwave: No reason to object._

_So you like it then. _Laserbeak wipe out the sweat away in his mind. _I thought you went into depress right there._

_Laserbeak: Worried? _Asked a concerned voice.

_Yes, I worried. _Then he noticed what had he just said. _Wait no! I…I take it back. It just…if you feel bad the pain would affect me too. I don't want us to…me to experience those pain again._

Even Laserbeak had felt some of the mech's suspicious through their link, Soundwave leaved it at that and he really felt grateful for it.

The left of the day was Soundwave doing his routine, work. He continued decode the encoded data. The former human got another opportunity to witness this skill of god again. The symbiote never bored out when it comes to tech. Even he knew this data will help the decepticon's cause, he couldn't help himself to join in and help on a bit of this and a bit of that. In the end, he end up let himself fully lend a hand to Soundwave in decoding the iacon database. The decoding's speed went 70% faster than normal. At the end of the day, they had 30% left of the code till the next relic's location will be reveal. When he came back to his mind, he felt shame about what he had done. _What the frag am I doing? I just helped the enemy get the upper hand and they will use this to hurt my friends. _

_Soundwave: impressed. Laserbeak: skill and helpful._

When those words reach him, the feeling of uneasiness went away. The thought about thing he did might betray his friends flew away, only a proud was left. Feeling of happiness fill in his mind. _I…did…I did good?_

_Decoding: Faster than Soundwave do it alone. Laserbeak: Good job. _Soundwave approved him, and the first time that he felt some proud emotion was filled in those voice.

Laserbeak didn't know what to think anymore. One side of his heart said that he should be mad at this, to felt bad about betraying his friends. The other side just said to feel proud of his usefulness to his creator, to let this make up for what he had done…for his guilt. Two emotions collide to each other. He didn't know what he should feel about this. _I…I don't know what to say._

_Thank you_

_Thank you? _Did the mech just wanted him to say thank you?

_No. Soundwave: appreciate for what Laserbeak did. Soundwave thank you to Laserbeak. _An emotionless voice corrected his words through their bond.

The side of his mind…the side that felt happy boomed out the other side and show it up front on his mind's face. He didn't know why Soundwave's words affect him like this. He did't know was it because of their stronger bond than made his fondness on the mech grew. The only thing he knew was his feeling tell him that it proud for what he did. _You're…welcome. _The last word on his mind sound like a question.

Then he felt like something tapped on his head.

It was Soundwave's hand.

He had been petted!

Instead of disgusting, He felt his proud of himself only grew stronger, like he had been praised by his father when he did some errand for him while he was alive. When the hand left, he unknowingly tried to reach his head to it. When he noticed himself, he pushed his head way into Soundwave's chassis in an embarrassment.

_Laserbeak: What's wrong? _The visor looked at him.

_No! Nothing! Just…scare to fall down. _The former human put all of his effort tried to lie.

Soundwave had noticed the lie, but said nothing about it. If Laserbeak didn't want him to know, he would respect that.

They arrived to their quarter. Laserbeak detached from Soundwave's chassis and flew around his head. He never experienced flying before. It was one of his dream when he saw birds outside the windows while he was studying. He felt the wind lift him up through his wings and flow along his sleek metallic body. It like his dream came true…even it just only flying around the mech's head.

_Laserbeak: System checking schedule. Come here. _Called Soundwave.

He flew down and used his claw to cling on Soundwave's right arm. He been lower down to the workbench. The dark blue mech let out his tentacle feeler. Its head change into an injector then lunge in to the hole on his neck.

_Running scan schedule…._

Many data running through his vision. He understand a little of them but could tell it was about his health. When it was complete, Soundwave retracted his feeler then grabbed something look like an oil can.

_Laserbeak: Wings are little stiff. Should do more flying in future. _The mech then used the oil on his wings. He felt like something cool enter his joint. Soundwave also added a little more on his body and claws. He lifted the symbiote up to his eyes to inspect his work. The mech reached under the workbench and came back had a brush in his hand. He then cleaned the spill oil around the bird body. Laserbeak felt like he had been gave a little massage. He cooed out by his instinct. Soundwave noticed this and continued to brush on his symbiote even his body all been cleaned. He played a relaxing song that he found through their mind. They both hummed happily along the music. If the crew would came into Soundwave's qurter, they would found the master spend his time with his symbiote like a normal day.

_Maybe I would like to be like this for a while. _A thought came pass Laserbeak's mind and he continued hum the song along with his creator.

* * *

Racing was the event that you would find many beautiful cars. One that was fast, one that was elegant, one that was strong or one that was slippery.

But there only one car in here that didn't come for a race.

A yellow sport car.

Bumblebee had been parked at the side of the racing by tree pass days. He was waiting for his target to appear and didn't move even an inch for those pass days.

He couldn't rely on his teammate to search for Raf anymore. They were too slow…too careful. Rafwould be dead before they found him. He needed to act alone, for this way he could move faster and decide faster. He could made his decision by his own instinct and his instinct told him that the culprit was the Decepticon. He would happily rushed in and tear their base apart, but he was not stupid. He would be dead by the decond if he attack their base by himself. Even if he tried to talk into his friend to believe him, he knew that his vioice was a little factor to them and it would be too slow for them to forming a plan. He didn't need plan. He just had to act fast, think fast and good instinct. Raf didn't has the time for any of that.

Primus, he could be dead by now.

But Bumblebee couldn't let that thought disturb his mind. He didn't know what exactly happen to Raf, but if he didn't see the corpse yet then it's the proof that he was still alive. If there was still hope, he would not stop till he could rescue his friend. The only thing that kept him waiting was he didn't know where the con base' location was. He had been stayed still for three long fragging days awaiting the information to come to him.

Then he spotted a car in the race line.

A very familiar red white car.

Bumblebee smirked in his mind.

The only thing left to do was waiting till the race was over.

Three days he been waiting. A little more one or two hours couldn't have hurt, right?


	7. the plan

Strate Incorporation was a medical company. They build and ship medical tools to many hospitals in many countries. They also did some of charity like any other normal company did. They had been doing there work for 50 years straight and hadn't done anything against the law once.

Who would have thought that this company was supported by M.E.C.H.

Inside their laboratory, the place where an outsider never had a chance to let their foot on, was doing many test on alien technology with a human test subject. Many screams never reach to the surface. They died alone and no funeral was done. Today was like another day for them, the normal routine of slaughter and torture.

Except there was an outsider in the server room.

"Okay I get in. What's next?" said the black hair invader.

A static voice communicate through the device in his ears. "Just plug in the drive and let the virus doing its job."

Jack grabbed a black USB and plugged it in to let the virus in the system. He looked around nervously for any guard might came in and spotted him. He had to be careful and race with the time.

_It would has been easier if you were here Raf. _Jack thought to himself. _Damn, you made this kind of thing look like it was a piece of cake._

A sound of foot step came the room.

_Shit. _Jack readied a stun gun in his hands, Aim at the cornered where the sound came from. "How much time left?" He whispered to the device.

"Only three minutes left." Answered the voice.

The child bit his lip. "Too slow." His hand was shaking with fear. _What if I miss? What if the guard notice me first and dodge my shot and sot me through my head. What if they capture me and do the test on me like those I saw?_

The guard walked pass the corner.

He shot.

That guard went limp on the ground.

"What?" Jack didn't believe he actually did that. "Oh…that was easy."

"The hacking is complete." The voice rang in his ears. "Get out of there, now!"

He retrieved the drive and jumped in the vent above that he came from. Leave only one unconscious guard behind.

Ratchet in his hospital car disguise was parking at the side of the building. Then jack appeared from the air vent behind him. The boy didn't wait any signal, he got into the car " go go go".

The car ran off into the street, never seen in any hospital after that.

* * *

"They knew nothing." Said Ratchet stomped his fist to the console. "Empty…Not even Raf name had been talked about in the log."

"Don't be mad, Ratchet." Optimus approached and tapped the medic's shoulder. "At least we can cut them out from our suspicious list."

"So…" started Bulkhead. "when do we gonna start wrecking Decepticon's ship?"

"We don't know where their base location is." Said optimus. "We have to find them first, maybe they are mining energon so we have to locate their energon mine then we will find their base."

Ratchet shook his head. "There are too many energon mine around this world Optimus. We can't search all of them fast enough, Raf doesn't have that much time."

"Err…may I ask something?" Jack waved his hand to get their attention. The bots nodded to let their human friend speak. "Where is Bumblebee? Shouldn't he be back here by now?"

Ratchet's optics widen. He typed command to his console. The red dot appeared in the map on the screen. "It's seem like Bumblebee is at some energon mine in a center of desert."

"Maybe he already found Decepticon's base!" Jack said in excitement. "He choose to follow their trail instead of M.E.C.H."

"Then what are we waiting for!" Miko shouted at her friends. "Go after him!"

"Autobots! Transform and roll out!" Optimus gave his order.

All of the bots change into their vehicle forms. Jack get on Arcee and Miko get in Bulkhead then they ran through the groundbridge portal.

* * *

_Hey Soundwave. _Asked the symbiote.

_Laserbeak: Purpose for calling? _Responded the mech.

Both of them was flying in the sky, in Soundwave's alt-mode. The communication officer got the idea to teach him how to fly after the fifth attempt of him fling his head into their quarter's wall. _I just want to know that…what happen to my body? The old one._

Laserbeak felt an uneasiness through their bond. _I just curious that's all. I can't go back to my body right now. Ours connection is too strong, I can't break them unless I want to kill myself._

The unpleasant feeling went away. _Rafael's body: Safe on the ship. Laserbeak: unnecessary to worry. _

When the former had heard that, a small smile appeared in his mind. _Thanks…for not throwing it away. _

Soundwave flew and let the wind wash over their bodies. _Laserbeak and Soundwave: Wound will heal someday. Old body: Important for later. _

Laserbeak surprised at those words. _You mean…I can be back in my body one day?_

_Laserbeak: correct. _Confirmed the mech.

The symbiote felt like his tears form around his eyes, but his robot body didn't have tear so it just his mind thinking. After all he had been through, he now knew that the hope to get back does not loss. _Thank…you. _Those words had more meaning than just an appreciation.

Soundwave didn't answer but the connection through their bond is enough for them. Soundwave continued to fly around, show some skill and gave him some advice about his trick.

_Laserbeak: Flying skill should be average now. _Said Soundwave through their mind.

The former human frowned at this. _Are you trying to say that I was pathetic before? _

Soundwave flipped his body in the air. _Soundwave: correct remark._

_Hey! That's not fair! _Laserbeak shouted in their connection. _It's my first time for fling! Now I know the basic, you should be careful with your words. _Then he get an idea. _How about a race then? Who back to the base first is gonna accept what the other's word was right._

Soundwave dispatched him from below his body. The metallic bird flew in the air along his creator like a pro. _Soundwave: accept._

_Then…bye! _Laserbeak flew off to the base before the signal had been given for start.

Soundwave let something out like…a sighed in his mind?...then flew after his creation. He didn't want to lost in his flying for the newbie like his symbiote, never.

* * *

A certain yellow bot was hiding behind the rock.

In front of him showed the energon mine filled with a lot of Decepticon' vehicons. It had a very big flying warship above theie head.

Bumblebee knew it would be suicide if he go fight straight on. He didn't want to waste the time spend on following Knockout to end up offline in the middle of the desert. He need a plan and he actually had it. It was a very crazy plan, but could be work. He just need one of the vehicon troop falling from group far enough to not notice his doing.

And bingo, one of the troop just came right his way for patrol.

Used his scout experience, he hide silently and wait till the con came close enough. The vehicle didn't suspect anything, he walk in to the scout's trap like an idiotic child. Before the con could do anything, Bumblebee gave a hard rock punch to the mech's servo, knocked him unconscious. He dragged the body to the cave he had found and grabbed the connecting cable from his pouch.

He got this idea from when Megatron was the one who invaded his mind, controlled him like a puppet. He would use that tactic against his enemy. He plugged one end of it in his port on his neck then plugged the other end in vehicon's port on his back.

No point for back out now.

He drove his mind though the cable, out of his own body to the new one.

His mind traveled through the vehicon's system. The data that this con hold was only a simple command and simple personality. The presence of the body's owner couldn't fight his much more stronger will. He pushed the vehicon's mind into the dept of his mind then he let his presence filled in the space, let the body accept his mind to be in control. The con's spark embrace him like a fitted armor. No resistant from a weaker mind. It not took him long for open his new optics.

The world around him turned red for a second the back to its original colors. He saw his recharge body alongside him. It was a strange feeling to witness his body lay down on the ground and him standing up in a vehicon's body. He test his movement on his new body. Vehicon was slimmer than his own body and weaker. He called out the weapon and found an very weak blaster on both of his arms. Only one good thing was when he had test his speed, it much more better that his original body. With his skill, he knew that his enemy would have a hard time trying to shot him down. He looked at his yellow body again. His original body look like a bot fell in a normal recharge but he knew the different that there was no mind in that body, only a spark and energon. He arranged his body so that when he came back, his body wouldn't hurt much to return to. He walked out of the cave, looked at his body for one last time and change into vehicon's alt mode to start infiltrating the decepticon's base.

Unknown to him a portal of groundbridge appeared after he had left.

"Hey Bumblebee! Do you…What the? Bumblebee!"

* * *

Note: I hate when the plot got thicken, it means more work for me to be done.


	8. the father

"What happened to him Ratchet?" asked the black hair human teen.

"I…I don't know jack." Answered the white orange medic bot. "His vital is totally normal. Every system wasn't been compromised. It's just like…his mind isn't in there."

After they found Bumblebee's body in some cave, they decided to split into two team. Jack and Ratchet would bring Bumblebee back to base for further analysis. The rest of the crew would searched for the clue about what had happened. Everybody, both mechs and humans, were terrified when they saw an unconscious yellow bot lay on the ground. They all thought he was offline but Ratchet was the one who told them that he only in recharge. But even Ratchet drag him through groundbridge, he didn't even stir. The two of them had tried everything they can but Bumblebee was still recharge like a sparkling.

"Do you think the decepticon had done this?" asked Jack.

Ratchet tapped some command to let data streaming through screen. "Maybe, but I don't know what can cause this. If they actually messed with his system, his firewall should be broken, but I found nothing, everything in his body are still functional."

"Do you know how to fix him?"

"I don't think I can." The bot lowered his head. "This is only an empty shell. All Bumblebee's core data is not here. I can't help to build a mind from nothing."

"So…What are we going to do now?"

"I'm afraid…we can only wait till the other coming back." Ratchet look through the bright blue portal. "Hope the other get more luck than us."

* * *

"Why didn't you sent her back to base with jack?" asked the big green bot.

Optimus looked at Bulkhead that had a human girl clang on to his neck. "Because I have a hunch that even we sent her back, she would just sneak pass the gate and make the whole situation messier."

"Hey!" Shouted Miko. "I'm right here you know!"

"Get down! A company ahead." Bulkhead was following the words. They get down on the ground, tried to hide for whatever was coming. Group of Vehicons in alt mode just drove past where they were hiding. All of them sighted in relief.

"They are patrolling around energon mine." Said Optimus.

"What are we going to do? Should we try an assault on the mine?" asked Bulkhead.

The autobot leader lost in his thought for a moment. "It's been a long time since Raf been kidnapped. I don't think he could wait any longer but we have to be prepare. We will get back to base first, form a plan, then go in rescue Raf and maybe Bumblebee."

Bulkhead and Miko nodded. All three of them turned back the way where the cave was then drove off.

* * *

He lost the bet.

Well, when he thought back about it, he now knew it was a stupid idea to challenge the bigger mech to racing. His creator was back to the base when he got only a half way. Which in term let he end up to this situation.

"Laserbeak: Repeating "I'm a pathetic flyer.""

_I'm a pathetic flyer _He meekly sent the word through his mind.

"Laserbeak: Repeating "I'm a starter that dare challenge his superior."" He could sense a smirk hiding in that voice.

_I'm a starter that dare challenge his superior._

"Laserbeak: Repeating "Laserbeak: inferior. Soundwave: Superior""

_Hey! I'm not that bad! At least I can fly!_

Then Soundwave sent a vlog that show him blew off the tract by the wind.

_Err…that…I…_

The vlog repeating again and again and again_._

….

Now with a dubstep.

_Okay Okay! Geez. _

But the video still was ongoing but with the text read 'Laserbeak: didn't say the magic words.'

…._Laserbeak: inferior. Soundwave: superior._

The vid stopped and Soundwave patted on his chassis on the area which was his head. "The bet: paid. Laserbeak: Reward."

His neck move his head to the mech's hand by itself. In his mind, he carefully sneak into Soundwave's system then search for that vlog file. When he had found it, he burned the data into pieces. He rashly back out to his body, wanted the mech to notice. _Ha! Now I don't have to see that embarrassing video again!_

Soundwave lower his head to look at his eyes. "Laserbeak attempt: meaningless. Vlog file: Already back up."

His symbiote mouth hang open. _The frag… _Then he sense his creator presence invaded to his mind.

"Laserbeak: challenging Soundwave for hacking. Soundwave: Accept" the mech's presence duck deep into the symbiote system with no effort.

_Hey wait! _Laserbeak panicked. _I didn't mean it that way! Hey that my private data! _

Either way he could hear that or that, Soundwave played the record then found out something interesting. "Laserbeak: Hacked into Pentagon?"

He felt his mind redder in embarrassment. _I was just 7! The curiosity had takeover me._

"Twice?"

_…a second might be something…personal. _

"To drop virus in his computer?"

_He started this first! He challenge everyone about his 'perfect' firewall._

Soundwave left the topic behind and went onto next data. Laserbeak would not allow that, he wrote the code manually to strengthen his defend but again, Soundwave broke them like a piece of glass.

A picture of a girl came in front. "Laserbeak: First crush?"

Before his mindscape had pink tone in it, now it was red like it was bleeding. _Lay it off! _He typed the command like a mad symbiote to keep his creator out of his secret.

"Laserbeak: wanted to mate?" asked by an unemotional voice.

_What! Heck no! _The temperature went up follow his embarrass. _I just…adore her. She had been nice to me like the other never did…I wish I had told her._

The mech let the silent embraced them for a moment then brushed off Laserbeak's attempt to push him out and went on to the next file.

_Damn it! I thought I had you there!_

"Amature." Then he came pass a file that look interesting. A dark black looking file.

_Wait! That's… _But the file was already been played.

_I'm being pushed into the corner by those two again. They never bored for picking on me. Who would not find bully some weakling was a very funny thing to do, especially if they are a jock._

_"Give me all money that you hiding, foureyes." Said Josh the douchebag._

_"I told you that was all I have." I tried to told for freaking forth time but they never listen. It's just seem like something that clogged in their brain was in their ears too._

_"Don't gave me those damn fucking bullshit. We want money and we want it now!" Said Ryan the jackhead. His words contain no intelligent in them._

_"What can I do? I can't make the money out of the air!" I snapped. Then I realized I shouldn't have done that, I should stay calm and stay quite then they would leave. Now they really were onto me this time._

_ He punched me in the face. _

_I couldn't identify who hit me. It was fast and I didn't expect that coming. My glasses flew away, I couldn't see where it fell down, only a stomp and sound of something broken following. I wanted think my way through, but the pain on my cheekbone kept me away from doing that._

_"You think you're smart huh?" He kicked me at the ribs. "You think you can mock us and get away with it? Nobody fuck around with us!"_

_"Now where our money!" Ryan shouted like it was the only word that came to his mind._

_"I…already told you" I choked the air out in pain. "I'm already out."_

_They both look at me. I prepare for another hit to land on my body._

_"I think this nerd told us the truth." Josh spit to my face. "This piece of shit's mother maybe couldn't find her customer these days."_

_"Agreed. That whore is too old for that kind of business. Who would want to spend his time with that old hag."_

_I was biting my lips at those words. Tried to think it just another babbling from a fool. _

_"Not wonder why his old man dump that bitch." Ryan lift his foot and put it on my chest. "He must tired of his slutty wife and her loose pussy so much. That's why he left her with a dirty parasite in her house."_

_The words stabbed my heart like a knife._

_"Oh, That explain he end up like this. A foureyes nerd that live with his slutty whore mother. If it was me, I would have left in a hurry too and never came back to see this mistake again." Josh laughed._

_Something liquid was forming in my eyes._

_"Right? I told ya that this brat's father didn't really want him. He's an anomaly that nobody want to be near. Did you see Nancy's face when she end up in the same group with him?"_

_"Yeah. She's totally creep out. I bet his whore mother actually don't want him too." Josh used his feet to crush his head. "See how pathetic he is. If I had a child like him, I would dump it in garbage in no hesitation."_

_The ground below me was wet with a drop of tears…my tears._

_"And now he's crying!" Joshed kicked him in the head. "Look at this little boy. Do he want his mommy come to protect you? Do you want your papa to come too? Oh sorry you little baby, your papa will never come to aid you. You know why?"_

_"Why Josh?" dumbly asked Ryan._

_"Because he would have laugh at this instead." Josh laughed along his words. "His little one pathetic mistake got crush by a two awesome men. He would be proud of us for helping him get rid of his guilt." They both were laughing in unison._

_"Stop"_

_The laughing stopped. "What did you just say?"_

_I slowly get up from the ground. "I said…stop."_

_Before the words could get in to their rotting brain, before I can clear my head from the rage._

_I punched their nuts._

_And I ran._

_Ran away from pain from those jocks that squirm on the ground._

_Ran away from pain that those words cause him._

_Ran away from tears that he left behind._

_Ran away from everything._

_…_

_…_

Soundwave stopped playing the data. He felt another presence didn't move or tried to do anything. Laserbeak was just staying there. Let the memory bring back his pain to the surface. The mech wouldn't let that to happen. He pushed them off the former human's mindscape into his own. He envelope the trembling presence in his aura, to let him know that he was not alone. The trembling lesser by second and second till it stopped. Soundwave let the presence go to be back in its own body. He look down at the symbiote on his chassis in worried.

"Soundwave: sorry" His emotionless vocal processor couldn't express his feeling to other but he know that Laserbeak could know it through their bond. "Soundwave: didn't know."

_It's alright _said Laserbeak. _One day, this memory will come and get to me. I happy that I have somebody to share it._

"Laserbeak: Doesn't mind?"

_Why? You think I would be mad? _The symbiote laughed in his mind. _Mad because of you help me handle with my own emotion?_

Soundwave nodded. "Soundwave: cause pain. Laserbeak: hurt."

_It's just memory. _The former would shrug his shoulder…if he had one. _And it happened long time ago. I already dealt with it._

Soundwave looked like he was in deep thought of something. "Soundwave: May asking a question?"

_What's the topic? _

"Your male creator."

A silent between them happened only a second. _My dad…He died from a car accident when I was 5. The driver was drunk and my dad was crossing the street so… _Laserbeak stopped for a moment. He didn't want to say that word aloud. Soundwave nodded in understanding. The synbiote noticed and continued his story. _He was great, always answered every question I asked even how stupid it sound. When I was down, he cheered me up with his funny talk. My mom gave me a sweater on my birthday and he gave me a notebook. Which I don't need to tell you what I like better. When I get in trouble, he just look at me in the eyes and it's like he knew everything! He help me avoid my mother gaze and help me fix the problem. When I lost him, it felt like the half of my world broken. I can tell you that I was not in the good shape both mind and body those days. It took 2 years for me to actually get over it. But even the pain was gone, sometime I wished he was here with me. I mean I love my mother too but…something it was just happened to be my dad to understand it, to understand me. Sometimes I felt like I were alone out there, alone in the world._

Soundwave tapped his hand onto his chassis. "Laserbeak: Not alone."

The former human chuckled in his mind. _Yeah…right. You know it kind of bothersome when you're not alone in your head. No secret, no hiding, no more lie._

"Helping, assisting, sharing, healing, protection" replied Soundwave.

_And totally interesting conversation with yourself on the walkway. _Said Laserbeak with a sneer.

Soundwave looked around and saw many vehicons gave him a strang looked back. He tried to hide his emotion. But like the word his symbiote already said, the former human noticed a little embarrassment in there.

_Now we are even. _Laserbeak laughed loudly in their connection.

He knew it would be useless to hope Laserbeak would let this down. He needed to change the topic and real quick. "Laserbeak energon level: low. Laserbeak: hungry?"

The laughing stopped and the sound of energon level warning came instead. _Well…now that you mention it._

"Destination: Energon deposit." He hurry walked follow the path.

Laserbeak smiled in his mind. _Sure thing…creator._

* * *

It was just another normal day in Decepticon energon mine. Vehicons worked on mining. Flying type was patrolling on the sky and ground type was patrolling on the ground. Everthing seemed normal, mining was going on well, no enemy had found them yet. Life of Vehicons were going on so well.

Except for one.

Bunblebee had been digging for almost two hours. He tried to get on the ship but his…this body's shift had not come yet so he had to continue doing this body's schedule. His arms had been sore all over. He would feel better in the war zone than this energy mining process, At least he could do other thing than digging. He knew if it continue like this for an hour, he would gave up and blew up this place which is his plan B. He took all the energon he been digging and drop it on the running line.

"Okay folks!" Vehicon that guard the warp gate shouted. "Your time is up! Get a rest back on the ship."

He sighted in relief, let all of his tension fall down with energon in his hands. He could finally on board the ship, find Raf then get the frag out of this stupid body. He followed the line of vehicons to get pass the warp gate.

"It's been a long day huh? ST-3V3" The sound was coming from his back.

He didn't know which place he should search first. He thought that the place should be something like medical bay, laboratory,interrogation room, prison….or a dumping place. No, he could let that thought bother him now. Rafael was alive, he had to be alive.

"Hmm…ST-3V3. Are you listening? I'm talking to you." The voice spoke again.

Bumblebee finally recognized that thisbody's designation was ST-3V3…and now he was ignoring what supposed to be his name. He hurriedly turn back and saw a vehicon. He let the scanner do it's work and he knew that the vehicon in front of him is VT-256. He didn't know the other way to separate them from each other, they all looked the same.

"Err…yeah. What's the matter VT-256?" He felt relief that the sound that coming out of his processor was the one of this body's.

VT-256 tilted his head in suspicious. "Nothing important, just want to say hi."

"Oh err…okay then…hi." He almost let out the last word in a question voice,

An awkward silent came after that.

"You…look…strange ST-3V3. Are you okay?" asked the vehicon in front of him.

His red optics flickered by his nervousness. "YesI' ." The sentence end up fast that the light.

"I'm sorry. What?" said VT-256, a puzzle in his voice.

Bumblebee decided to take in a deep breath before answer. "I…I mean I'm okay. Everything fine."

"Are you sure?" VT-256 tapped on his shoulder. "You don't look well to me. It seems like you not knowing yourself."

"Heh…heh…that's funny." He tried as hard as he can to laughting and he saw that VT-256 didn't bought it. "I'm really okay. I am."

"….Well. If you said so." Bumblebee felt relief when he thought that the vehicon would stop asking him question. "By the way, are you remember what I ask from you yesterday?"

Crap.

In the inside, Bumblebee's circuit was running at almost overheat. He could access through the common base data of this body but he couldn't access through personal data. If he wanted to access it, it would take him to bring the personality of this body to the surface of their share spark which mean this body owner would have a fair fight on this body with him. It had a risk that this body's might won and he lost himself forever being Vehicon. If he win, he still was himself but get this body's personal record to help him impersonate this identity better. It's the risk that could take his lfe but Raf's time almost up. The longer he took to find him, the more chance that he will be in danger. He didn't waste any more time and brought the presence that he had pushed down up to the surface beside him.

The data rushed in, the day he was create, the day he get his designation, the day he fought alongside his troops, the day living on decepticon warship. The day he fought the autobots, and that damn yesterday that VT-256 asked for his favor.

"Sure man, I already have it." ST-3V3 answered his friend and grabbed the blue ore that hide in his chassis to him. "Beware about GH-852. I saw he was watching your every step while you was mining."

The red light on VT-256's mask flickered with excitement. "Thanks man. He was watching my every move, I couldn't take this by myself."

ST-3V3 smiled in his mask. "Just remember that you own me. Next time I'm in trouble, I will ask for your help too."

"High grade stuff definitely rare these days. With these, I can finally fix my broken arm. Thank you again." VT-256 tapped on his shoulder and went off on his way.

Bumbleble finally let a sighted of relief in his mask. The personal data was massive. He almost succumb into the sea of this body's memory but he used his will and his own memory to pass that point. In the end, he was still himself with a little extra of ST-3V3's memory.

_Wha…What happened? Why can't I move myself? _The voice loud in his head.

Bumblebee face paled. He was glad that all Vehicon wear mask because the other wouldn't notice how pale his face had become. He felt a presence brushed pass his.

_Who…are you?_


	9. the war

"How about we grounbridge on to their mothership?"

"It won't work, the ship has a signal that protect from us to pinpoint groundbridge portal. The nearest that can open is near the energon mine."

All protectors of the earth was discussing about plan to attack Decepticon base. Raf was held captive, Bumblebee still in recharged. They had to race with time.

"Why don't we just go straight right in?" Bulkhead made his opinion. "Even we get on the ship unnoticed, they will probably find us right away when we get onboard. So what the different? Hell gonna break loose, only early."

"That 'early' might save our friend's life." Said Ratchet. "They might kill Raf if they know we come to rescue him."

"Also we have to find out what happened with Bumblebee." Said Optimus turned his head to look at unconscious yellow bot. "It will be safer if we can get on it unnoticed."

"But how?" asked miko. "It's not like we are specialist at stealthy anyway." She looked at all the massive big bots around her.

Silent came after that. They all lost in their thought and lost the idea how they could be stealthy. Just look at them, a bunch of giant robots with colors. They would be seen since their feet was out of the groundbridge.

"I think the only way we can do this is charge through their door." Said Jack. "If we are fast enough, decepticon won't know what hit them."

Optimus nodded. "It's risky but we have no choice."

"Yeah." Said Ratchet. "I bet that no bot actually can do this kind of stealth mission. Who can infiltrate the decepticon base and not being detected?"

* * *

Bumblebee was on his berth.

_No…It was ST-3V3's birth. _He told himself.

It been 3 hours since he got onboard. He still felt sore from all the work he had done down there. He couldn't move even an inch when his body touch this birth first time. He didn't know that vehicon's work was this hard. He was a scout, he used to be in the war zone that this kind of work. It took a lot from him. The only thing that surprised him was that vehicons around him didn't seem to be upset with this hard working, actually they look happy.

_That because we are proud of our job. _Said a voice in his head.

Bumblebee sighted with himself. Since ST-3V3 came back from the dept of his mind, the vehicon never shut up. At first, he shouted and demanded him to give his body back. After he said no for a million time, he changed his tactic into annoy him to death with his voice. It's been 2 long fragging hours and he was still speaking, even he was in recharge.

_Primus! Would you please stop? I'm trying to rest here. _Said Bumblebee then again try to let the recharging world embrace him.

_Ha! Said from an autobot scum that steal other body! _ST-3V3 angrily sent the words through their mind. _I will not stop until I chase you out or burn my circuit down so I can take us both to offline._

Bumblebee rolled his optic. He and ST-3V3 knew that he couldn't do anything with this body anymore. He already cut the connection between him and his body and connect it with himself so he knew that it was only a bluff. The only thing that ST-3V3 could do now was stopping him from recharge with his noise. _I know and you know that it won't work, so why don't we not bother to each other and stay quiet._

He felt the other's anger grew. _You stole my body and now you want me to keep quiet? Why don't you just offline me then? It would be more honor for me to offline that being a tool for an autobot to use._

Bumblebee scratch his ST-3V3 neck. _Well first, I need your personality to perfect my impersonating and not get notice. Second, I need some data from your mind about routine and map of this base. And lastly, I don't know how to delete your consciousness._

_What? _Said ST-3V3 _But you just block me from access to my own body. It would be easy for you to wipe me out right?_

_I just forced your mind into recharge. _Answered Bumblebee. _Like a fault command that will cage you in your recharge forever till I been forced to wake you up to use your personality data. Wait? Why I am telling you this? I have no reason to answer your question you con!_

He felt the other lost in hi thought for sometimes then he could see ST-3V3's smirk appear on his face. _We are using the same mind remember? So when I asked you, you automatically thought an answer in your mind. I can hear every thought in your head so I also know your answer before you can thought to stop thinking about it. In short term, there is no secret between us autobot._

_Frag…_His mind formed that word automatically.

_Yes. Frag indeed. _ST-3V3 laughed.

_So did you ever seen human on this ship before? _Asked the yellow bot mind.

_Hmmm…I did heard about some officer drag a human with him a week ago…Hey! You are using me as a rat! _Shouted ST-3V3 angrily in their mind.

_Well, what can I say. There is no secret between us decepticon. _Said Bumblebee with a smirk.

_You piece of…_

Boom!

The sound of explosion came before ST-3V3 could finish his words. Bumblebee surprised by the sound, suddenly standing up and ready his blaster cannon.

"_We have been compromised." _A sound rang in his communicator. "_All unit prepare for being groundbridge down there and engage the enemy." _He finally recognized the sound, it was sound of Soundwave. _Wait? I never heard Soundwave speak before. How did I know what does he sound like?_

_You weren't but I was. You recognized his voice through my data. _Said ST-3V3. _Look like you get more of me than you know autobot._

_My designation is Bumblebee! _He pressed ST-3V3's presence back. He knew that the vehicon would come back in a few minutes, but right now he need some quiet time to think. He walked off his quarter, and saw many of his tro…vehicon's troops line up in front of the blue portal.

"You there!" He looked at the one who call him, Knockout was waving his hands. "You vehicon hurry and get in the line! Four autobots are attacking our energon mine. Prepare yourself and jump out the portal."

Didn't want to be caught so he obediently get in the line and jumped off to grounbrifge. The blue light enveloped him then he was on a battlefield. He ran to hide behind one giant rock. He saw Optimus was cutting vehicon pieces to pieces, Ratchet was firing to cover his comrades, Arcee was roundhouse kicking every vehicon that dare to get near her, and Bulkhead was squishing vehicon like they were a soda can.

_If I hide back here, I won't need to battle my friends and no one get suspicious. _He thought to himself. _Yeah…Just wait till they completely wipe out all of this decepticon so I can continue with my searching. _

He looked at many and many more of vehicon both ground type and flying type got offlined by his friends. He should felt happy that his friend get the upper hand in the battlefield but strangely, his…ST-3V3's spark was painfully itch when he watched vehicon fall to the ground one by one. He hold his hands to his chassis, hope it would lessen the itch down, but it would turn more painful when he watch his caomrade's body pieces. _No! They aren't my comrade. I'm not a decepticon, I'm an autobot. Decepticon are my enemy, vehicon are my enemy. I'm not one of them._

He closed his optic and sat down, head to his knee. He tried to closed his hearing processor to cut off the warzone's sound too but can't. The sound made his itch in spark grew stronger and pain replace it with curiosity. Who was been sliced? Who was being squish? Who was been shot? In the end, he opened his eyes and continued to watch more of vehicon fall to the ground, offlined.

_What with all the noise? _ST-3V3 came back to the surface of their mind. _What is hap…Oh Unicron! What the frag are happening?! _

They shared their mind so also their optics. Both of them saw how much terrible this battle was getting at. Vehicon fell down like a rain drops, Autobots was too strong for them to handle. They had been through many battle than most of the vehicon that actually only do the mining. Even 4 of them was easily beat 100 of vehicon to pieces and both ST-3V3 and Bumblebee witnessed it all.

_Please…_said ST-3V3. His voice was staggering. _Please, I beg you. Help them!_

_I…I'm an autobot. We are enemy. It is normal for the war for one side to be vanquished. _Said Bumblebee. His voice showed his weakness for his words.

_I beg you, please. _He felt the other's precence waving like a choppy cloth. _I won't bother using my body again, just please help them!_

_I…I can't. _Bumblebee bit his lip, energon can be seen out of the wound.

More of the vehicon was offline.

Stabbed.

Shot.

Broken Body.

Sliced down.

ST-3V3 screamed.

Bumblebee felt the rushed of data come through his mind.

The time when he been introduced to his troop.

The time when he fight alongside with his brother.

The time we laugh and cerebrate when we survive.

The time how much proud in himself when he been promoted by an officer.

The time how painful it was when one of his comrade never get back alive.

The time where he couldn't find his friend when he get back safety.

The time when the fight occur, he knew one of them wouldn't make it back home.

The time when he was alone.

ST-3V3 ran out from his cover and shot at Optimus prime who was going to slice one of vehicon in front of him. Made him needed to dodge the shot and left the vehicon alive. Prime looked at vehicon who shot him and ready his blade.

ST-3V3 didn't went to fight with prime but changed to his alt mode and drove off into another direction toward the other Autobot, Arcee who was aiming at vehicon's head. He crash into her, made her flew off and crashed to the rock. He changed back and aimed his blaster to Ratchet who was busy shooting at decepticon at long range. Before he knew it, the medic been shot in the stomach, sent him down to his knee and holding his hands to his wound. ST-3V3 ran and dodge the bullet which Optimus throwing at him. He advanced to the big green mech who was squishing vehicon with his hands. Bulkhead notice the incoming vehicon and threw the decepticon in his hand to the ground and ran to ST-3V3. ST-3V3 jumped up above Bulkhead's head to dodge the incoming deadly grapple and land perfectly behind him. Charging his cannon, he jumped up again to gain an perfect line of sight and shot at the gap between Bulkhead'neck. The explosion occur, the smoke cloud them from view and made it impossible for Optimus to cover up his team. When the smoke was clear, the vehicon was gone, left only Bulkhead that had a big hole on his shoulder.

Optimus looked around his team members. Arcee was knockout unconscious, Ratchet was trying to heal his wound on his stomach, and Bulkhead looked like to lost control over his left side body and fell down. They were all out of capability to continue this fight, just by an one vehicon.

"Autobots fall back!" The groundbridge appeared behind him. Optimus grabbed both Arcee and Bulkhead and throw them into the portal then help up Ratchet before the gate disappear. Left only the devastation the fight had made.

ST-3V3 walked out from behind a bunch of giant rock. The red visor on his mask scan the result on this warzone.

_Vehicon offlined: 78_

The number made his spark chilled like he went through North Pole. So many loss. So many body. But what made him terrifying the most was his action.

He was trying to kill his friends….his own comrades.

Bumblebee remembered all of it. He was the one who shot at the prime, he was the one who knock Arcee out cold, he was the one that made Ratchet fell down to the ground, and he was the one that made a hole on Bulkhead's shoulder.

He was the one who done all of that.

By these hands.

_What's happening to me? _

* * *

After Soundwave sent command to all of vehicons, he flew out the base in his alt mode to watch the fight. He landed above the mountain near the warzone. He stood there, watched as many vehicon was fallen to the ground.

_Why won't you help them? _Asked Laserbeak.

Soundwave let his visor out of the fight and looked at his symbiote. _Laserbeak: want Soundwave to interfere?_

The former human frowned. _Well they are your comrade, aren't they? I don't want to fight my friends but your troop are dying here. _

Soundwave tilted his head. _Laserbeak: Allow Soundwave to fight Autobots?_

The symbiote lost his voice with those words. _Err…well, if you put it in that way, I would prefer we better watch the fight and not get any of my friends or you get hurt._

The dark blue mech leaned in closer to his chassis. _Laserbeak: worried about Soundwave?_

_Of course, why would I not? _Answered Laserbeak frankly.

Soundwave was taken back by those honest words. He didn't expect such an emotion from his creation. _Soundwave: thank you. _

_What for? Anyway I don't see Bumblebee down there. Wonder where is he…Soundwave look out!_

Laserbeak detached from Soundwave's chassis and flew above his head.

_Bam!_

The shot went straight on the symbiote. Laserbeak fell from the air, smoked gushed out from his body. Soundwave catch him before he crash to the ground.

_Laserbeak?_

No answer from the symbiote.

_Laserbeak?_

Still no sound from the little bird robot in his hands.

"Didn't fancy to meet you here tinman." Said Wheeljack jumped out from his cover behide the tree. "How's about a rematch."

Unknown to him, the purple tint on Soundwave's visor changed into red.

* * *

Note: this chapter came out in a bit of rush so sorry for some missing information.


	10. the fight

How in the world that he had done that.

Bumblebee looked at his trembling hands. His unfamiliar dark blue arms were shaking with energon, his friend's energon.

_I was trying to kill them, to offline them._

The thought made him feel sick. But he remembered it all, remember when he moved his own hands to hurt his own comrades. The worst of it was he knew that it was him who did it. Not ST-3V3, It's just only him. He was the one who tried to kill his own friends.

_Thank you. _A sobbing sound of ST-3V3 rang in his mind. _Thank you for protecting them._

The appreciation didn't make him feel any better. Instead, it made him just want to struck his own spark out right there. Those words made him feel like he was one of them, made him feel like he was decepticon. He didn't want to be like them, nor to save them. He was…is an autobot, he fights for his friends, he fights to protect not destroy.

Is that the reason why he fought his friends to protect them?

_No. _He knew what the reason is. He saw what ST-3V3's life had been through like it was his own and that was the problem. Those memories, those feelings were making him feeling like he was ST-3V3, like he was a vehicon for his whole life. The thing that stopped him from fell off his own identity was his own memories, feelings and experiences. Most of the time, his will was stronger than the vehicon and also his experiences surpass him at every level that made his mind stay dominant in this body but when vehicon was going to offline one by one, ST-3V3's emotion went into breakdown. He trashed around to regain control but it was impossible with such a weak mind. So the mind did the only thing it can to fix the proble, if you can't gain back control, just influence whoever is in charge. It end up sent everything that was ST-3V3 through him at one time and he lost himself. Even maybe ST-3V3's emotion might influence him but deep down, he knew that it was actually himself that did the fighting.

_How on cybertron that I can look into their optics again. _He muttered in his mind. _How possible thing would be the same after this? _

He silently walked up the gate to get back to his…ST-3V3's quarter. He laid on the birth, hands over his face. This body recognized the birth and already felt comfortable on it but his mind was too busy to worry about that feeling.

_What if they died? _The thought came to his mind. _The wound on Bulkhead looked really bad. Primus, that explosion could rip his head off! If I…If I killed him…_

The sound of the open door distracted him from his thought.

"ST-3V3 you there?" It was VT-256 waling in. "Can I come in?"

"Sure." He answered automatically.

He sat opposite next to him. "Tough day huh?"

Bumblebee could only nod his head.

"Many of us didn't make it." VT-256 said in serious tone. "Autobots offlined them all. Even the big guy FG-8G4 didn't survive. I almost got shot too if it weren't for you."

Bumblebee looked at him, curious. "What do you mean?"

VT-256 smiled behind his mask. "Don't act like an idiot. I saw what you did down there. You ram the autobot's ass back to their home."

"Oh." The impersonator said sadly. "Yeah. I guess I did that."

"I never know you are such a good fighter before." Said VT-256. "Actually I never saw you fight before. The only time I saw you was when you did the mine job or working for officer Soundwave. I didn't know you had that fire in you."

Bumblebee looked at him. "Is it bad?"

"No No NO! Fragging no!" the vehicon answered quickly. "I already said that if it weren't for you, I would end up in a recycle yard. Why do you seem so down? You saved a lot of us back there."

Bumblebee sighted. "It's nothing. Just a problem of my own."

VT-256 frowned but left the subject behind. "Well, your problem are yours to keep. I just come here to say thank you for all of us, for made us still alive." He tapped his shoulder. "So be proud of yourself! Maybe some officer would see your potential and might promoting you."

Bumblebee's guilt grew and lower his head. "Yeah. Might be."

"What's wrong with you?" angrily shouted VT-256. "You just saved our live damn it! At least be happy with that!"

That's the problem, he did save them.

"Look, I don't know what your problem is and I don't care. You are our savior and I don't want to see you depressed to death in this shithole." He grabbed his arm and dragged him through the door. "Just look."

Bumblebee head up and saw what VT-256 had in store for him.

All of vehicons was lining up in front of his quarter, saluting him. The appreciation had been shown on their face even their masks couldn't hide it. They all shouted simultaneously "ST-3V3 great job!"

Before Bumblebee's mind could make up with what was going on, VT-256 grabbed his shoulder and threw him in the crowd. They caught him and threw him in the air again and again.

This made Bumblebee's spark feel a little…warmer. No…it was a lot warmer and it was a really good feeling. He never got this kind of admirable from any of his friends. He was just a kid to them. When he did good, he got what good kid got, a praise but not ever an admire. This was the first time he experience this. He felt like he was important to them and he actually was. He saved all of their spark. He was a savior to them. He should feel bad about this but the happiness exceed it. He let his smile appeared on his face and shout along with his comrade.

He never been this happy since he had first met Raf. He was the only human that can understand him. Not only that, he also understand the meaning of his feeling behind those words. When he lost his vocalizer, he lost the ability to express his emotion. He could speak but they had no feeling in it, like a monotone. Raf was the only one who knew that he was happy or not. They became friend in no matter of time. He had been in charge to protect Raf by his commander and he need to rescue him by no matter what it cost him.

If it turned him into monster or decepticon so be it.

* * *

Silent embraced both of them.

Silent of the battle to the death.

Wheeljack and Soundwave looked at each other, nobody was moving. Wheeljack hold the dual blade in his hands, Soundwave ready in his normal looking fighting stance. The optics met visor. The blue mech stood in front of his fallen symbiote like a wall to guarding him.

"Still a silent type to the end." Said wheeljack broken the silent. "I thought I would hear you scream when I shot that bird down. Funny, if it wasn't for him, you would be the one who laid on the ground."

The red tint on Soundwave's visor was getting stronger but he still didn't move.

"Well, I can't stand here all day so…" Wheeljack rushed into Soundwave with fascinating speed, slashed his blade at him.

Soundwave parried it with his tin arm. Wheeljack didn't waith for his opponent to recover, he slashed the other blade in his right hand.

_Clink_

Again, Soundwave parried it with an effortless expression. The only thing that show his emotion was only his red blood tint visor on his face.

_Clink _

_Clink_

_Clink_

Again and again, Wheeljack threw his slashing through the con, but only to let Soundwave parried it all. He jumped back to change his tactic. Wheeljack jumped above Soundwave's head and dived down hope to strike him with his dual blades.

_Clink_

Only Soundwave parried it off and sent him flew back, his back crushed into the rock. Soundwave slowly walked step by step to him.

Wheeljack stood up and spit his energon in his mouth to the ground. "Not bad." He rushed in again and threw everything he had on this communicator officer.

_Clink_

_Clink_

_Clink_

Wheeljack increased his blades' speed. Faster and faster till they were faster than sound. A sonic boom occur when his sword swing. Despite that, Soundwave was parring all of it with his effortless expression still show all over his body.

_Clink_

_Clink_

_Clink_

The swords' speed increased to the point where Wheeljack never accomplished before. Then it hit him, the swords didn't go faster, Soundwave parrying speed was forcing his blades to swing this fast!

_Clink_

_Clink_

_Clink_

The speed was still increasing. The one who was offencer went to defend and vice versa. The only thing wheeljack could only do right now was keeping his swords up to defend him from those terrifying speed tin arms. And then he saw some thing that made his face gone pale.

Soundwave let his feeler out.

Those tentacles combined with his arms made Wheeljack impossible to defend it all. Finally one of them found his guard open.

_Shrieek_

Soundwave's tin arm worked like a blade. It sliced off Wheel jack left arm like a paper. With his one down arm, It left him to defend with his right arm with the exact same speed.

_Shrieek_

Another arm came off. Wheeljack screamed in pain of lost his both arms. He tried to back away from his enemy. Soundwave only walked closer to him, slowly.

Wheeljack never scared. He had been through many thing till those emotion fade away.

But now it was coming back.

He didn't scared about death, torture or capture.

He just scared of Soundwave.

Those slowly step.

It like he didn't care.

Like the rest of the world didn't matter to him.

He just wanted to see Wheeljack burn.

_S…Soundwave. _A familiar voice rang in Soundwave's mind.

The dark blue mech immediately turned to look at his symbiote. _Laserbeak?_

The dark blue bird tried to move his wings but it was all broken. _Just let him go Soundwave._

_Autobot: hurt Laserbeak. Soundwave: angry. Autobot: have to suffer. _Said Soundwave through their link.

_Please… _Laserbeak said with a weakening voice. _He suffers enough_.

Soundwave looked at the armless Wheeljack. The red tint on his visor lesser down till it turn back to normal purple. He walked away from the fallen autobot and gather up Laserbeak in his arms. _Laserbeak: need medication. _

The former human just sent a smile back. _…you told me._

Soundwave turned to look at Wheeljack one last time. "Nurture your spare life, autobot." Then he flew off.

Wheeljack's optics wide and his mouth hang open, surprised that he actually still alive. He would loss in that thought if the warning didn't show him that he was losing energon through his wounds. He sent a SOS message to the autobot base. In no time, a blue portal appear behind him. A hand came out and grabbed him through it with his dispatch arms.

* * *

The medical bay's door opened.

"Just lay down the body over there." Said Knockout, still working on his current patient, a dead one. "Don't break anything or I will cut out your stupid vehicon mask." And continue slashing through the body's organ.

He was interrupt by a taping on his shoulder.

"I said just la…" he turned back and saw Soundwave and Laserbeak in his arms, broken. "Scrap! What happened to him? Hurry and lay him down here." He pushed off the body down the ground to leave a space for the symbiote.

"Laserbeak: shot." Said Soundwave.

Knock while was starting with his work, looked at the dark blue mech. "Well, it sound so simply when it came out from you."

The operation went on smoothly. Laserbeak shape came back to normal but he was still in recharge.

_Soundwave. _Megatron's voice rang in Soundwave's radio. _Report me about what had happened._

"Knockout: send message when he out of recharge." Said Soundwave tried to leaving.

Knockout grabbed the mech before he could leave. "Wait, I have to go down there and looking for any survivor. I don't have time to check on him every minutes."

"Then I will find someone to watch over him." Then he sent a command to one of vehicon he knew.

_ST-3V3 report yourself at med bay._


	11. the recover

"How they are holding up? Ratchet."

"Not good Optimus." Answered the medic. "The less damage one is Arcee but she still in recharge, Wheeljack may recover his arms back but he need to stay in stasis tank for a long time. Bulkhead though is another case." He look at the hole on the green mech. "His condition is severe. We will need to let his body do the healing first, or the drug would kill him….and beside." He hold his hand on his already closed wound on stomach. "I don't think I'm in good condition either."

Optimus nodded. "Don't overdo it too much. We still need a healthy doctor around here."

"I know that." He sighted and look over his fallen caomrades on their births. "To think this was done by only one vehicon."

"He took us by surprise." Said Optimus. "We underestimate them and didn't expect much of a fight so it lead us to this result." He lower down his head. "It was all my fault."

"Nobody can see the future Optimus." Ratchet tapped on his leader's shoulder then had to scream in pain and continued to hold his wound. "Aww…You couldn't have known that the vehicon could capable that much of skill."

"I was reckless Ratchet." The autobot leader said back. "I should be more careful not to lead a direct assault head on. I should find another way."

"And you already did." Both mechs turned to look where the voice came from and saw Jack standing there. "You already tried to form a plan so don't blame yourself with this."

"But there had to be another way." Said Optimus hopelessly. "There had to be some way to get up on their ship unnoticed and avoid fighting."

Jack walked closer to the prime. "So what if you could get on it stealthy? What you was going to do then? Staying stealth on the ground was hard but it would be much harder when you get on to their ship. What if we got found out and surround by thousands of vehicon? What could we gonna survive from that with no escape route?"

Optimus couldn't say anything back with that truth.

"So stop blaming yourself already. The last thing we want was you being depressed and ignore everything when your friends need you." Said the black hair teen.

"Isn't that a bit harsh, Jack?" said Rachet.

"No Ratchet." Optimus hold his hand in front of the medic. "What he said is right. I can't be depress now. I don't have time for blaming myself. I have to lead when we are in this most weakest state."

"So what's next then?" said Miko still touching on Bulkhead's hand.

"We recover." Answered Optimus. "Waiting till we can get back on our legs again then we strike back."

"And strike back hard." Jack added.

* * *

"ST-3V3: shall report back to Soundwave immediately when Laserbeak is out from recharging." Ordered the dark blue mech.

Bunblebee set his red optics still and hold his salute. "Yes sir, officer Soundwave." He let out his answered out smoothly like he had done it for a decade.

Soundwave nodded for that answer. He turned and looked at his symbiote on medical birth. His visor showed no emotion but even Bumblebee could tell that behind that emotionless face, the mech had his care for his symbiote. Then the communicator chief turned back to him. "Take care of him." Then he left.

The vehicon impersonator was taken back for this even. On battlefield, he never saw that blue mech show an emotion for anything that came pass him. Soundwave just…sliced through everything that was in his way. Bumblebee knew that that silent around him was showing the death sigh for everything that dare try to break it. He never thought that he would see such an emotional side of him. Well, his symbiote was his creation after all, who wouldn't care for what they had created.

Bumblebee never saw the mech and his symbiote separate from each other either. Even in ST-3V3's memories was shown only the symbiote attached on his chassis. He didn't know enething about Soundwave's symbiote at all. Vehicons shouldn't have the right to answer his officer with this puny question so the data of them on ST-3V3 also empty. _Well, at least I know from Soundwave's words that Laserbeak is male._

He walked closer to inspect the little bird origami like body. Everything on this body show that he was so fragile, weak but Bumblebee knew more than that. He had witness when this bird showed up and shot his laser beam that burned down his comrade while they was fighting on cybertron. He remembered when they tried to shoot this little pest down, Soundwave came out of nowhere and changed the warzone into a slaughter. He only survived because the retreat order came just in time. Soundwave's skill and his feeler was unstoppable. He thought it might be only prime or Megatron that could take this decepticon officer out.

He looked at the small symbiote again. _Such a weak state, can't even protecting himself. _He let his thought drift off with his past rage. _What if I end his life now? What if I offline him and tell Soundwave that his health was worse that he thought? Nobody will ever know and I still can continue with my mission to save Raf. Yeah…all of that mech lost their spark by this little thing. He deserve no honor to offline in a fight! _Bumblebee rose his right hand up preparing for a dead blow.

Then he lowered it down beside his body.

_No! _He shook his head. _What am I thinking? The worker like me shouldn't try to not following a direct order. Importantly, I almost offline one of my superior's symbiote! Why would I do that? I'm a vehicon of the decepticon. Why would I want to destroy one of my comrade, that was fragging insane!...wait…_

Wait…

What?

Was that…really his thought?

Did he just call himself decepticon?

Bumblebee's face showed his horror. He just stopped taking a revenge for his fallen comrade and his reason was he was a decepticon's minion! He knew something had happened to him. Something must affected his mind within this body to make him think that way. _ST-3V3 must has something to do with this. _When his though pass through the owner of this body, he noticed that he didn't heard any complain from the true vehicon's mind in a while. _Hey ST-3V3! I has something to talk with you._

Bumblebee waited for a reply.

Silent.

_ST-3V3! Answered me you fragging con! _He madly sent his voice through his mind.

A sound stirred. _Wa…what is it?_

Bumblebee frowned. The voice was so light, so light that he had to stop his loudly mind to listen those words. _What happened to me? Why I'm thinking I am you? Did you do this?_

_I…I don't know. _ST-3V3 sound's staggering like he was sick with a tox-en. _I only hide myself in the deepest side in your mind all this time._

_What? _He muddled for that answer. _Why? If you do that, it would let me a full total control over this body and your data._

_I know. I promised remember? _ST-3V3 weakly said back. _That I would let you have my body if you help them and you did. So I just fulfilled my promised and hiding away to let you have the control._

Bumblebee shocked. _But if you do that you will lose everything._

_I didn't care. _Answered ST-3V3 simply. _I had been through so much. I was there since the beginning of the war. I fought. I survived but most of my comrades didn't. Do you know how it feel when you have to continue your life alone while your friends, your brother, your sister, and your family all was dying all around you? _

Bumblebee kept his silent. He knew, but not from his memories. He knew from ST-3V3's data files. All those events, all those pain, he knew.

_You do know. _ST-3V3 sounded lighter. _Then you will understand that from those painful data that I will not lose any of my comrade ever again! Even it would cost me my spark. _

He understood vehicon's feeling. If he was in his place he would also do the same for his autobot friends.

_So I let you have my life for saving theirs. I don't know what happened to you or anything you did but I do know one thing. _The vehicon's mind stopped for a moment. _I am fading away._

_What? _His red optics widen. _You are…dying?_

_Kind of. _Answered the weaker mind. _When I surrendered, I let your mind to be the dominant one. My mind flowed through yours. I let myself be consumed by your thought, emotion and your memories. And from them, I know you been through much as myself. I let myself lost in your mindscape. It absorb piece of me bit by bit. Not for long, I will and cannot bother you anymore. You can have my body all for yourself._

Bumblebee's mouth was opening. The vehicon just let himself dying to fulfill his promised. The con gave up his body to him in trade for him to save his comrades. Did he really want this? Did he want to killed someone and takeover his life? No, He didn't want to end it in this way. He just wanted a way inside to search for his friend that's all. When he find him, he would just return to his body, nobody been harmed and everything change back to normal. That's what he hoped. And now here he was, killing this body's owner to keep the control. He felt like it was himself that was the villain, the evil, the bad one.

A sound stirred from a medical birth.

_Look like it's my cue to leave. _Then ST-3V3's presence disappeared from his mind.

_*where…where am I* _a static sound came from the symbiote. It was not understandable in human ears but Bumblebee's translator could translate it.

He recovered from his thought. Even how bad he felt for the situation, He couldn't let his cover been blowed. "You are in med bay sir, officer Laserbeak." The symbiote was count as one of Soundwave's body, so he also had his rank.

_*No need to be such formal, vehicon.* _Bumblebee felt that he was being scan. _*ST-3V3 am I correct?_*

"Yes sir, I'm ST-3V3 at your command." Said Bumblebee trying as hard as he could to sound like the real ST-3V3. He sent his audio to Soundwave. _Sir, Laserbeak is awake._

_Affirmative. _His officer responded back. _Keep him a company till I get back._

_Will do sir. _Then the radio was cut off.

_*Drop those 'sir' word already! I told you not to be formal with me.* _said Laserbeak, annoying.

"Okay s…Laserbeak." He almost let the word got out. He surprised by Laserbeak's friendly look. From knowing that he was created by the silent one Soundwave, He expected Laserbeak to be more…cold. And for a mass murdering weapon, he sounded like a sparkling. "Are you alright?" He asked to follow his duty.

_*Been better than this.* _The bird tried to move his wings. It rose up and show its capable of flying. *_At least, I'm not dead yet."_

"You shouldn't try to move. Your wound doesn't perfectly heal yet." If Soundwave came in and saw his bird on the ground, he would be dead.

_*Ahh…you're no fun.* _said Laserbeak. _*You keep much too stress to yourself, I can see it by your clenching hands there."_

Bumblebee undid his hands automatically. He absent-mind clench it all this time and his hands now felt sore.

The symbiote looked at him. _*Is it about what had happened with your troop?*_

Bumblebee's optics waved when the picture of the fallen vehicon came back to him.

_*I assume it has a part in it. Is there something more that bother you?* _Laserbeak continued asking.

The knowledge of his situation came to him, ST-3V3, his changing mind, Raf. He avoided optics contact when all of that came to his mind.

_*I see.* _said the symbiote. _*You have your problem to be dealt with.* _Laserbeak looked at him and saw the clenching hands came back. _*I don't want to know what your problems are but I just want you to know that something cannot finish by yourself. You always have your friends to help you. You don't need to do it alone by yourself. Well, It was my friend's words but I give it to you."_

Bumblebee looked up at the symbiote by those familiar words.

The med bays' door opened.

"Laserbeak: report for your status." Said a familiar sound from a familiar con. Soundwave grabbed Laserbeak up and attached him to his chassis. Bumblebee knew they were communicate through their link like always, ST-3V3'memories told him that.

The communicator officer chat with his symbiote for along time. Sometime he moved his visor closer to his chassis like he was teaching Laserbeak a lesson. In the end, Soundwave tapped on his chassis a few time and gave out a sigh of…relief? Then he turned to look at him.

"ST-3V3: Objective completed. Can return to your routine." He began to walk through the door then stopped and turned back to him. "Laserbeak: Want to leave a message."

"Yes, sir?"

"Remember my advice." Then he left.

Bumblebee thought about Laserbeak's words. _Friends will always be there to help huh? _Actually it was a good advice, a good way to lesser your tension down and let his friend help him with these situation. He knew that his friends will always help him if he get into trouble. He could rely on them and let his stressfulness faded away.

But he was alone.

Bumblebee looked around himself.

An empty med bays.

On decepticon ship.

Yes.

He was all alone.

* * *

Note: Don't worry, Steve doesn't die...yet.


	12. the reason

It been a day since the autobot's assault.

And the repairing on decepticon base still wasn't finish.

The remaining vehicon and insecticon left all the mining work and changed their objective to fix their ship back from the damage. The ship itself didn't look bad but they had to be ready if the autobot decide to attack them again. They was doing what they could, the ship was repairable, the spark though, nobody could revive the offline spark back online. The dead couldn't be fixed, and the number of casualties were so great that left grieve on everybody mind.

In the command control center also had somemech was doing his job. Soundwave sood still next to his monitor with his feeler attached to its port. The screen showed Iacon data been decode little by little. In his mind, Laserbeak also lend his hand to help increase the speed. The former human couldn't resist such a challenge from an alien tech. He couldn't help himself even he knew it would help the decepticon cause. Finally, the decoding was finish and the data of relic location was shown on monitor. Soundwave downloaded it to his drive and turned to walk toward his leader.

"Lord Megatron: Decoding finished." Soundwave bowed in front of his commander.

"You never disappointed me with your work, Soundwave." Said Megatron grinning. "Show me the loscation."

"Iacon database: Show the relic is in this coordinate." Soundwave visor showed picture of a map with a red dot. "The relic: Tox-en."

Megatron's red optics wide opened when he heard what the relic was. He moved his optics down to let his thought get in the news. "We have to obtain it immediately, before any side of the war get their hands on it."

The dark blue mech nodded. "Affirmative…and what to do with the relic?"

The big silver mech looked the map on his officer's visor for a moment. "The mountain near it is an active volcano correct?"

"Correct."

"Then throw it down." Commanded Megatron. "Its effect was too devastating to use in the war or any circumstances."

Soundwave nodded then turned to leave. But just stopped and turned to look at his leader once more. "Megatron: Benefit from this action?"

The red optics avoided contact with his henchman. "I let my emotion control myself far too long, Soundwave. And for that, Cybertron had to be the one to pay the price." The decepticon lord turned his back to the mech. "At that time, I let my anger clouded my judgment. So many bodies fallen down and the last was out planet itself."

The dark blue mech shook his helm. "Megatron: did what you had to."

"There always was another way." Answered Megatron. "At least, I could just told my reason to him. I always had a chance for that but I always let it go. I could talk and maybe this war would never happen, maybe everything will be the same."

" 'The same' was the reason the war began." Said Soundwave.

The dark lord nodded slowly. "I know, the situation was so worse that the change had to happened. But was the war necessary? If I knew he still inside, I could always try to reason with him."

The communicator chief walked closer, his visor looked straight into Megatron's red optics. "You didn't know. Nobody couldn't know."

"And most recently I know my brother was alive. Guess what I did? I deceived him!" the sound of hard punched on the steel table rang through the large room.

"Megatron: had to gain everything you had for the war."

"My anger build from his demise. When I know he didn't die in there, instead of talking into him, I lied to make him work for me. I lied to my own borther! I let my anger of his dead…his change to control me and lied to the very being that is my reason to begin this stupid war itself!" Another sound of the metal punching was heard. "Instead of end this…madness, I let it continue and look what it does." Megatron waved his hand over monitor and it showed vehicons offline body. "I could stop this from happen but I didn't."

Soundwave tilted his head. "Megatron: Always has an option to negotiation."

The silver mech shook his helm. "Our pride won't let it. Beside we already pass through that point. So many live from each sides, both mine and his." Megatron closed his optics. "The only way to end this now leave only one side wither me or him to be exterminate."

"He is still the same person you know when he help translate the code."

"I know and I let that moment pass away." Said Megatron angrily. "Now he got the matrix back and that bastard council's thought also back in his head. It will be impossible for him to understand our reason now."

Soundwave didn't say anything back. The silent between told them the conclusion of this conversation. Soundwave didn't have any objection. Megatron didn't like the outcome of his only decision. "Even the war will be continue, I didn't want it to be a massacre. Tell some insecticon to obtain the relic and dispose it like I already told you. Anything else?"

"No, my lord." Soundwave bowed.

"Then dismiss."

The dark blur mech turned and left the command control center. Along the way had only an empty silent around the mech. Until his symbiote decided to break it.

_Err…did you two just talking about Optimus? _Asked an unsure voice.

_Almost correct. _Answered Soundwave. _Megatron's brother: Orion Pax._

Those words made the remaining traveling filled with absolute silent.

* * *

One by one, vehicon bodies were throwing into recycling chamber. At this place, the body would be separated its parts and delivered to med bay to be used for a transplant. Alive vehicons was carrying their offline comrades to transport them to this place.

Bumblebee also carried one.

He couldn't take all of his stress from all of his problem. He need something to distract his mind so he decided to work like a normal vehicon. In a bright side, he didn't have a time to be depressed anymore. But now his back felt sore from the weigh and his energon level almost dried up.

He threw the body into chamber and decided that was the last for today. Normally, average vehicon would done their work time by 5 or 6 hours but he spend the time in here for a day. Actually, he started his working after his talk with Laserbeak. He didn't have friend on decepticon ship so he did the working instead. He let his thought wonder while working to energon deposit.

The place crowded with many vehicon and insecticon. He got into the line and waited for his turn. He grabbed energon cube and found some bench for him to sit. He slowly refill his energon level. The cool liquid flow through his chamber and fuel it. It made his sore body felt a bit better.

"Ah…Nothing better than some energon after the hard work." Bumblebee looked at the speaker and saw VT-256 sat opposite to him. "It would be better with some high grade but still better than nothing."

Bumblebee said nothing and took a sip from his cube. His body shiver from fueling.

"Can't imagine what it had been for you in the dark edge." Said VT-256 looking at him. "I would go into crazy if I didn't get one of this in a day."

"Dark age?" said Bumblebee muddled.

"Yeah, the one that you told me." VT-256 took a sip from his cube. "The day before decepticon was born."

Before Bumblebee could reply anything, a flash of memory hit him.

_A red warning was flashing on his screen._

_He just ignored it and waved the warning window away from his optics. He didn't have any energon left to worry about the lack of it. It had been 3 cycles since his last refuel. His engine snarled in hunger but his weakness made it so hard to just open his optics._

_He was sitting down next to some kind of store building. The red warning appeared again. He didn't try to wave it away, knew it would come back again after he get rid of it. He just tried to stay still so his engine would burn less of his few left blue liquid. _

_Then a sound of a buzzer that he was waiting came._

_He used all of his left strength to stand up. His engine whined in protest of its low energy but finally he managed to stand still. He opened door and walked in the energon store. His optics met with the owner's. He was an orange mech with a normal build._

_"2 energon cubes…please." He said out weakly._

_The mech shook his head and pointed at the sign on counter._

_*Reserve for rank up to warrior class only.* _

_"Please…" He begged. "I have the payment."_

_Still the mech shook his head._

_"Can I buy just 1 cube. My sparkmate…she really need it. She is having a spar.."_

_"Look." He was cut off by a blaster aim at his head. "You are just a vehicon without a rank. You can't buy even a little piece of energon. So get out of my store before I put a hole in your head."_

_He lowered his head in defeat and slowly walked out from the shop. _

_This was the last place in the store list around here that sale energon. He had been looking for any store to sale some of it to him, but found none. He absent- mind walked back to his home. The lack of energon on Cybertron made the council to establish a rule to control the amount of energon that can be used in a day and how much each rank gonna get. For he was vehicon and vehicon didn't have any rank so he didn't have the right to use any energon from this planet anymore. All of the vehicon knew it would be a death sentence for them after the rule came out but they could do nothing and could only watch when one of their friend starve to death._

_Finally he made it back home but something was wrong. His home was too quite. Usually it had a sound of working engine of his sparkmate fill in the house but only silent could be heard. He walked to look on her berth and saw her recharging on it._

_Her recharge was so peaceful like she was offline._

_He scan her body and felt no energy came from it._

_His knee fell down to the ground._

_He let his scanner worked again._

_Still no energy._

_No working engine._

_No sound._

_Like his scream._

_He screamed but no sound came out._

_His low energy vocalizer won't allow him to produce a sound._

_ He scanned sparkling in his sparkmate._

_Lifeless._

_He let out his silent scream again._

_He sat there._

_Motionless in front of his offline sparkmate and sparkling._

_For a cycle._

_Then his hands clenched in to fists._

_He muttered in his mind. 'I can't take this anymore.'_

_'I can't bear with this anymore.'_

_He looked up at his lifeless family. _

_'Things have to change.'_

The flash ended and Bumblebee's mind came back to the present.

_Is that…_He thought to himself. _ST-3V3's memory?_

"So many had died in that year, include my creator." VT-256 continued his speaking. "Don't tell me your amnesia kick in your drive again?"

"No, I just think about something." Said Bumblebee automatically. He looked at an empty cube in his hand. "Thanks for a company. I will be back at my quarter." Then he hurriedly turned and left VT-256 behind.

While he was walking, his mind drifted to that resent memory. He was told that decepticon started the war because they want to conquer the universe but not like this, not because they was starving to death and the council left them no choice. He fought them in believing that every decepticon he killed, he also saved people's life.

_They told you that? _Said ST-3V3 in his head. His voice was weaker than before. _They told you that us decepticon was a bastard hungry for power wanted to rule the universe? _

_It…It was a fact for me. _Bumblebee said back, his voice sounded lighter than the body owner himself. _You decepticon started the war because you wanted to rule the galaxy. _

_Ha! _ST-3V3 sneered. _All of you autobots are just a bunch of council's puppets. They told you anything and you let your puppy mind believe them._

The disguised autobot had nothing to say about it. He knew he had been deceived by his council…his primes all along. _So is it true? Is your memory reliable? _

Suddenly his spark felt hot like it was burning with fire. Before he could fell down from the pain, it subsided. _Look at your hands autobot. _Said ST-3V3 angrily. _What do you see?_

He followed the vehicon's words and looked at them. He saw a faint of memory came past. A hand of a femme was touching him. He hold her hand like it was a long lost treasure, then her hands faded away.

_That was her. _Said from a distance voice in his mind. _My angel. Can you feel it? Are you still thinking that this memory was made up? How do you think I feel when I had to send her body to recycling yard? I lost everything, then he came to me. _The voice paused for a bit. _Megatron, a warrior from Kaon saw what we, vehicon and other unrank cybertronian had to suffer. He lead us, made us saw that there was still a hope and after that the decepticon was born._

Bumblebee was awe from those words. The vehicon made it sound like Megatron was the savior, like he was a hero that help them came back to their feet, like he wasn't the one that kill many cybertronian, like he wasn't a tyrant, like he wasn't the reason that cybertron was destroyed.

_He tried to be reasoned with them, with primes. _Said ST-3V3, knowing what was the yellow bot inhis mind thought. _He tried to negotiate with them. I don't know what happened in the room but when he came out, his optics was red with madness then…the war began. _

Bumblebee frowned. _Megatron and negotiation never go together._

_Believe it or not, he was more reasonable at that time. Even he started the war, we stil followed his lead because he gave us a chance to fight for our lifes. He gave us an opportunity to change the way we live. _

_And it cost cybertron itself. _Said Bumblebee angrily.

_So you would let all of us died to protect the peace? _ST-3V3 said back. _Our planet was dead. No energon left enough for the living on it. Even the war didn't happened, the planet would still perish and people will fight over the residue energon._

_You killed so many. _

_So was you. _The vehicon said back. _Autobot killed as many as we deceptiocon had. We both have an energon on our hands. We wanted to live. You wanted to maintain the peace. We both had the reason to fight._

Bumblebee arrived to his quarter. He didn't said anything back to the vehicon in his mind and laid down on his birth. His right hand was over his head. _So which of us is right? I don't know anymore. It's like there is no correct answer._

_Just do what you want to do. _Said ST-3V3 _There is no absolute black or white of anything. In the deepest of the black may have the light that we can't see and the light may have a dark secret hiding inside of it. It is color of the life, everything has a shade tone of grey._

Bumblebee sighed. _I still don't know what I want to do._

He waited for a response, but nothing came.

_ST-3V3? _He called out the vehicon's designation.

The vehicon didn't answer.

Bumblebee sighed again, knowing that the con was residing back into his mind to rest. The time that the vehicon's mind could talk to him was cutting off little by little. His words still rang in his mind. He was not sure what he want to do. The line between the bot and the con in his mind was bizarre. He didn't know which side was right anymore. He didn't know what his mind ley on which line of side.

Then his thought came to the reason he was here in the first place.

Now he knew what he wanted to do.

He would rescue his friend, right now.

The vehicon got up from his berth, his red optics filled with confident with his choice.


	13. the decision

"Are your hands feeling alright?"

"It's still itching inside." Answered the white red mech. "But other than that, everything seem working perfectly."

Ratchet nodded. "Don't overdo yourself. You're just came back from a stasis and your arms was dispatched from your torso not long ago." The medic handed him over a blue cube. "Here, take some energon to refresh your circuits."

Wheeljack grabbed the cube and took a sip from it. "Thanks, I don't know what would happen to me if you guys didn't come and saved me in time."

"So the mech that did this to you, Soundwave wasn't it?" asked the medic.

"Yeah." His voice defeated. "My skill used to be match to his. I almost got him one time, but when I shot down his bird, It triggered something in his and he easily kicked my ass off."

"At least you were downed by an officer's hands." Ratchet lowered his head down. "We had to retreat from only one vehicon."

"What?" Wheeljack shouted, not believed on the words. "You guys got your ass kick by one vehicon?"

The medic's face shown his shame. "He took us by surprised. We didn't expect that much of skill came from a vehicon."

"So that explain the patch on your belly." He pointed at the medic's wound. "What about the others?"

Ratchet looked at his monitor on the table. "Arcee was backed from her stasis not long ago, she seem fine but still dizzy from the crashed. Optimus didn't have any lethal injury, he was the one who help all of us to get back here alive. Bulkhead though…" his voice stopped due to his worry.

Wheeljack grabbed the medic shoulders. "What happened to Bulk?"

"His wound is large. It is on his shoulder near his core spark's wire." Despite being grabbed, Ratchet keep his voice calm. "I don't know what it could affect him. He is still in stasis, recovering. His vital show normal but I don't know if he wake up and be the same, I don't even know that he will wake up or not."

Wheeljack let his hands off the medic. He looked straight at Ratchet's optics, pleading. "You're a medic right? You can fix him right? Tell me you can help him back to his feet. Please, tell me you can wake him up."

Ratchet bit his lip, only let out silent to be his answer.

"Fragging scraplet!" He shouted and stormed off the med bay.

The medic turned back to his workshop, looked at his monitor screen. "If only my skill was a bit better." He said it to himself, dimly.

* * *

Wheeljack was frustrated from the news. He let his lags walked by itself while his mind was thinking about his friend's condition. He was trying to get out from this base then his optics notice the berth in main room.

His friend, Bulkhead the big green mech was laid up there. His optics closed like he was only in recharge. Sitting next to him was the human girl, Miko. She was holding Bulkhead's hand in hoping that her feeling might sent to his mind and wake him up faster. Wheeljack let his optics moved to look at his friend's wound. It was patched up but he still saw the damage. The wound was big, he had seen many wound like this on the offline mech. That memory didn't help him to calm down at all. His mind snapped and planed his destination. He tried to walk out from the base then a voice stopped him.

"Wait!." The human child stood up and ran to him. She stopped just in front of him, stopped him to continue his leaving. "I know what you trying to do."

He looked down at a little human girl. "And what is it young lady?"

"I know because I'm thinking the same thing." Said Miko. "I just want to go with you."

Wheeljack frowned. "Are you sure human? My target isn't just anything like a plaything. It can be dangerous for you."

"Our target." She said confidently, her eyes filled with anger. "I just want to see the vehicon that did this suffer."

"Then my lady." He changed to his alt mode. "Get in."

Miko followed his words and get in the car. The wheel ran off and left only a smoke behind.

* * *

"What are you doing in here ST-3V3?" asked the red mech.

The vehicon impersonator turned back and look at the decepticon medic nervously. "Err…just want to look around sir, officer Knockout. I just want to patrol for any autobot might sneak in from our last encounter."

"Even in med bay?" said Knockout. "Even while I'm still here?"

The veicon's red optics waving around. "Oh…right sir. I don't think about that. Sorry for taking your time sir." Then ST-3V3 ran off the door.

The red medic muttered to himself. "I swear that drone was acting weirder day by day." Then he got back to his work with the body on the berth.

Outside, Bumberbee sighed in relief. _Wheww, I don't actually believe he really bought that. _He had been search for any of his human friend clue for some time now. From VT-256's words that he saw some officer with human, he decided to start with every officer related quarter. He already searched through Dreadwing and Knockout so that leave only one officer left, Soundwave.

He searched about Soundwave last because if he started it, he knew the mech would actually know that there was a rat in this base and his identity would be blew. He had been in his main quarter and saw nothing suspicious so he started to search all of his lab. He had finished by three rooms then he was stuck by a lock door that need a password. Even a password for cleaning drone that he was using didn't work. So he did the only thing he could, he hacked through the pad on the door. He tried to avoid this method because it might triggered the alarm but he had no choice other than this. Amazingly, the alarm didn't went off and the door slide open silently. He walked in and the light switched on. It looked like some kind of laboratory. Many unfinished work still laid around the workbench and on the ground. He stepped in carefully not to touch anything. His slim vehicon body make it easy for him with stealth work. Then he finally found what he was looking for.

A human boy was floating in a tank, around him was some kind of green liquid. Beside the tank was a moniter that show a vital sign of the brown hair boy. He tried to walked in to inspect his friend body but the feeler came in and moved around his neck, choking him. The tentacle lifted him up and turned him around to face him with its owner.

Soundwave's visor was straight next to Bumblebee's face. "ST-3V3: Trespassing an officer's quarter. Reason: unknown."

Bumblebee tried to get out of his restrain, but to no avail, the feeler around his neck didn't even budge. "Sir, this is just a misunderstanding. I'm just following an order to cleaning the room. I must think this was the room I need to clean. I just get in the wrong one."

Soundwave tilted his head. "ST-3V3: Sound wave show that you are lying, and a silent alarm went off by your hacking and sent to Soundwave."

"Oh." Bumblebee stopped flailing around, knowing it would be pointless. "I guess I'm in trouble now, aren't I?"

"Motive: unknow. ST-3V3: Why act against your order?" asked the dark blue mech.

"I'm not telling you anything." He didn't care about his cover anymore. He had been found and he didn't know lying would be useless against this mech.

"No need." Then another feeler came to his vision and went to his back. He felt it groping around his port behind his head.

"Wait! Don't…." He was cut off by an immediate connection.

He lifted up his firewall to protect himself from the invader. But even the most genius kids on the planet get a hard time only to fend off this communicator officer for five minutes so his firewall was broken in a mere second. Soundwave now could access everything in his drive, memory and spark. He felt the presence rushed in and scan through his system. When it found what it was looking for, it retreated back and left the autobot mind alone once more.

"You: Not ST-3V3." Bumblebee felt the feeler around his neck loosen. "Your designation: Bumblebee."

_*Wait* _A static sound came from Soundwave's chassis. _*You are Bumblebee?* _The bird symbiote detached himself from his creator and flew around Bumblebee's head. Then landed on the vehicon's shoulder. _*Let him go Soundwave. Please.*_

The tentacle removed itself from his neck and retreat back into Soundwave's body. Bumblebee patted on his neck to let go of his tension. Then the symbiote said neck to his hearing processor. _*You are really Bumblebee, aren't you? What happened to you? Why do you look like ST-3V3?*_

If he didn't know better, he would think that Laserbeak was worrying about him. "I already told you, I'm not saying anything."

"Bumblebee: used a connecting cable to move in ST-3V3's body." Said from Soundwave, looking through the memory he got from him. "Motive: To rescue his friend, Rafael from decepticon."

The symbiote looked straight into Bumblebee's red optics. _*You came to save…me?*_

"What are you talking about?" Bumblebee pointed at the green liquid tank. "My friend, Raf is in there. I don't know you. I only met you not long ago. Why do I come here to save you?"

Laserbeak turned his head to met with Soundwave's visor. His creator nodded in approve to let him tell everything to the autobot. _*Bumblebee, you may not believe this but…I am Raf. My mind is in here…in Laserbeak.*_

"What?" His face shown his muddle. "If you threw that scrap at me and hope that I would belie.."

_*I first met you when you jumped off the bridge down to help Arcee from vehicon.* _the symbiote interrupted him before he could finish his sentence. _*You broke my toy car in a fight and I told you that it was okay.* _

Bumblebee's red optics wide behind his mask. That event would be known only by a person who was there. The two vehicons were already offline so that only left him, Arcee, Jack and Raf that know this. "How? How do you know about that?" Then his face changed into anger. "You tortured him didn't you? Or you found a way to get in his head?"

_*Look* _The symbiote's head moved forward straight to him. _*I know it is hard to believe but I don't have any reason to lie to you. You got captured by Soundwave and I asked him to release you. Can you tell me why we did that?_

Those words made Bumblebee's curious grew. They didn't have any reason to keep him alive. They could extract any information they want from his corpse. Maybe this bird was telling him the truth, maybe he really was Raf, but there was one thing that kept him from fully except the symbiote's words. "If you're truly him, why are you working with Soundwave? Rafael that I know wouldn't betray his friend and work with the decepticon."

The look on the bird shown his sadness. _*So much had happened. We had been through…each other's feeling and…that made a bond between us. We can't be separated now. We exist to fill the void in each other's mind.* _Then the bird looked at him. _*How about you? Why you is in ST-3V3 body? How long since you had been him? I saw ST-3V3 fought our autobot friend yesterday. Was that you who do the fighting?*_

"I…" Bumblebee couldn't let his answer out from his processor. He couldn't tell them that he had hurt his friend willingly.

"Laserbeak: Guess correct. Bumblebee: was fighting by his decision." Soundwave answered it for him.

_*Why?* _The symbiote's static voice sounded curious. _*Like me, I do believe you have your own reason to do that. I just what to know what is yours, I promise that whatever the reason was, I will respect it.*_

"You are truly him, aren't you?" The vehicon impersonator's voice shown that he accept Laserbeak/Raf's words. Only his friend, Rafael would show this kind of respect to him. He always listen to him no matter the circumstance was. "I fought off my friends because I…I didn't want those vehicons to be destroyed, I wanted to protect them.

Raf didn't show any surprise or disbelieve to his word. He just clang on his shoulder, listening to him.

"When I transferred my mind to this body, I also had a chance to see things in a vehicon's way. When we had our reason for the war, they also had their own. They fought for their life, for energon, for freedom, for change. I couldn't disagree with their reason, I couldn't tolerate to watch them fell to the ground, lifeless one by one. So I protected them. I fought my friends to protect my enemies." Bumblebee avoid his optics contact with the symbiote in shame.

_*Don't feel bad, Bee.* _He expected an anger shout, a frowned face or a furious silent but not a consolation. He looked at his friend in a metallic bird body. _*You just did what you want to and you saved many life down there.*_

"But I almost killed my friends!" He shouted in protest, he didn't want to be consoled, he want to be anger at, to damn him to fall down to the pit for what he did. "My own comrades, I didn't even hesitate when I shot out my blaster to rip their body apart! I'm a betrayer. I am as bad as every con now."

_*Not all of the decepticon are bad.* _said Raf. _*As not all of the autobot are good. Their always two sides on the same coin. I learned that.* _The bird looked at Soundwave. _*I believe you did the right thing. I don't want to hurt my friends either but at the moment you had no choice. You learned that the vehicon had the right for their life and our friends was trying to destroy it. You decided to protect them, I'm not blaming you or anything. You just did what you felt right.*_

Why? Why did he say it like he was doing the right thing? Like he did it right to hurt his friends…their friends. Even the reason was to save some life, was it really alright to sacrifice his own comrades?

_*I already told you that no matter what happens, friend will be there to help you.* _said the symbiote. _*I know if you tell your reason to them, they will understand and forgive you. You had been with them longer than I am, I know your bond is stronger than this incident to affect it. Please believe in them.*_

Will they ever forgive him? Sure, if he play a prank on them, they would never mind it at all. But this…this was like a betrayal. Friends didn't take a betrayal easily. If they knew about this, it might hurt their feeling and severe our trust. It would never be the same.

_*I promise that whatever happen after this, I will always stand by your side. We are friend, remember?*_

Those words made him smile a bit. His worry seem to lose it weight in his thought. Raf's word made him felt better. The human child always knows the way to cheer him up. He could only hope that he was right, that his friends would forgive him after this. Maybe he could present himself to be a practice target for a little payback on him. "I guess, right now I will believe in your words."

The symbiote nodded in happiness that he could bring his friend's mood back.

"So what do you do next? Will you come back to base with me right now? I came here to rescue you after all." Asked hopefully bumblebee.

Raf's face shown his distress then looked at Soundwave. "I couldn't leave him even if I want Bee. He need me and I need him. Besides, he is also my friend."

"Soundwave, your friend?" His voice shown his disbelieve.

_*A lot had happened.* _said Raf oppressively. _*It's hard to explain but I can tell you that he can be trust.*_

"He is a decepticon, Raf. He works for Megatron!" said Bumblebee.

_*Megatron and every decepticon hve their right reason to fight this war, both you and me already know that. And don't call me Raf.* said Laserbeak. *I decided to threw that name away with my old life. I'm Laserbeak now." _

"What?" He exclaimed, not believed the words he just heard. "What about the thing you left behide? What about your friends? And what about your mother?"

_*I will come back to them.* _answered the symbiote. _*When both my wound and Soundwave's are healed. I will come back to them when I ready but for now, I must fully accept this identity for both of me and him.* _The bird moved his head to his creator.

"But you're leaving them!" Shouted Bumblebee. "You are becoming what your friends' enemy is. You are turning into a decepticon!"

The symbiote flew off his shoulder and landed on Soundwave's chassis. _*I already decide my decision. I don't regret it. The thing that bug me is what are you going to do?* _

"What do you mean?" asked Bumblebee, not understood in his friend's words.

_*From what you invite me to come back with you, I conclude that you will go back to the base, go back to your old body. You will return to the way you had been. But will it gonna work?_* The bird head looked at him. _*Our friends will surely forgive you, I'm positive about it. What I'm talking about is this war. If you go back, you will have to fight against the decepticon. Now you know their reason for their fight, you even protected them from their demise. What I really mean is will you can put your mind to fight against decepticon or vehicon anymore? Will you really can end their life by stab through their spark like the same old day? Can you really do that?* _

His mind thought hard about his answer. "I…I…"

Brrrrm!

Before Bumblebee could finished his answer, the sound of explosion came from below the base.

"We had been compromise." Said Soundwave. Laserbeak retracted into the dar blue mech's chassis. The communicator officer turned to him. "Right now the vehicons are fending off the autobot, designation Wheeljack."

"Wheeljack?" He said out the name, the picture of the white red mech that is Bulkhead's friend came to his mind. "He's here?"

"He is coming alone." Said Soundwave. "Despite that, he easily handle every vehicons that surround him."

"He is fighting against them?" asked Bumblebee but more likely just talking with himself.

_Please. _A familiar weak voice appeared in his head. _Save them._

Bumblebee shook his head hard to not let ST-3V3 affect his thought. Soundwave silently look at this strange behavior and didn't say anything. The symbiote on his chassis moved his head to talk to his friend. _*Bee, you can use this opportunity. While everyone are busy at fighting, you can slip pass the security system and get back to the base.*_

"We have to go." Said Soundwave.

_*Tell everyone that I miss them. Tell my mother that I love her and I will come back one day. Tell them I'm doing okay, don't worry about me.* _Then both of them left the room.

Bumblebee was left alone in the room. His processor was still processing about what to do next. He moved his body through the door. At first, he just walked slowly then he ran as fast as he can to the warp gate. He decided the first thing he had to do was get back to base and apologize to his friend. He will figure out about everything else later when he get back there.

Things in the ship turned into chaotic. Every vehicons was rushing through the gate to fight down there. Bumblebee blended in the crowd and warped down the ground easily. The fight was unbelievable, Wheeljack was surround by at least 20 vehicons but he moved his blade to slice them half one by one like the number mean nothing to him. Bumblebee stood there, in front of the gate and watched as many of vehicon ran pass him to their demise.

_Please. _A voice in his head appeared again. _I beg you._

He lived on the ship for sometime now. He recognize many of vehicons in the fight, that one that handed him over their energon in thank you for saving their life, that the one that laughed along with him when he told them a joke, and that was the one that worked alongside him while he was transporting bodies.

All of them was sliced in pieces before his optics.

_Please._

Bumblebee ran through the crowd, pushed every vehicon in his way out. He saw the autoboy's blade was going to cut through the vehicon next to him. He rushed in and transformed his right arm into a blade mode and came into received the blow instead of the con.

The blade bounced back from a parry. Wheeljack's optics looked surprised a little then he moved the sword in his other hand, targeted it on Bumblebee's neck.

_Whpss._

The blade missed its target and hit the wind. Bumblebee dodged from the blow just in time. He ready his fighting stance and shouted. "Everyone keep away from him! He is out of your liege!"

"So you're the one that Ratchet talking about." Said Wheeljack, his battle mask still cover his mouth. "I need to pay you back something for what you did with my friend."

The words stung him. Wheeljack came here to take revenge for what happen to Bulkhead. Everything happened because of him. He hurt his friend, now his friend was furious and want to see him get burned.

The hope that his friend would forgive him seem so hard to believe in now.

"What with the face? A scraplet got your processor? If you just standing there doing nothing then I will move in first!" Then the warrior ran into him, a dual blade ready in both of his hands.

Bumblebee dodged the hit. A blade moved pass his optics for a millimeter. He stepped back to avoid those dangerous sharp edges. But the autobot didn't let his opponent escape, he rushed in the retreat mech and gave him another slice targeting his torso.

The vehicon impersonator moved his right blade arm in the way and parried it. The force pushed him back to further increase his distance to his opponent. He readied his stance once more for the next blow.

This time Wheeljack moved in and attacked with both of his blade at the same time. He moved his hand to let the blade harder to predict what way it would come. Bumblebee didn't let his surprise destroy his calm, to lose it in the fight mean death. He let his optic behicd his red mask vior inspect the movment. The blade moved slowly across his optics. He saw the way of it and flexed his knee to let the blade passed above his head and jumped up to avoid another incoming blade. Wheeljack hit only a wind again and now Bumblebee landed behind his back. The autobot didn't leave his back guard open for long and turn back to let the blade in his right hand in hope to slice his target down.

_Clink._

The blade was parried away from its track again and it made Wheeljack lose his balance, he tried to move his feet to bring back his stance but the damage was done. Bumblebee used his opening, kick him in the gut to send him flying away.

The warrior flipped in midair and landed on the ground perfectly. "Not bad." And he rushed in again, blade met with blade. "With this, I now know how you can manage to put down my friend in that way." Wheel jack slashed his blade and Bumblebee jumped back to dodge it.

He had nothing to say about it. He just tried to protect his supposed to be enemy for a second time.

Another slice came in, he dodge it. He transform his left hand into a blaster and shot to the ground.

The ground exploded and sands covering both of them. The brown sands hide both of them in each other view point. Wheeljack was still in shock but his experience tried to move his arms to ready what is coming but he was not fast enough. Bumblebee already memorized the position Wheeljack was in and tackled him to the ground. He sat above him, locked him from taking any moment. He moved his right blade hand up, readied to let out a death blow.

He was going to hurt his friend again.

His blade hand stopped in midway. In war, only a mere second could change the whole situation and Bumblebee learned those words in a hard way.

_Shrkkkk._

The pain can be felt at his stomach. He looked down and saw a blade pierced through his body then he felt he been kicked off by the mech below him. He let his back touched the ground, his hand grabbed the sword to realize that it was really stabbing through him.

"A warrior does not hesitate while fighting." Said Wheeljack, walking to him with a blade in his hand. "For it would cost him his life."

Then he rose up the blade, readied for a final blow.

"This is for you Bulk."

The blade came down.

Bumblebee closed his optics. Ironically, he came to rescue his friend to just be slayed by his other friend. But maybe…his sin would be pay with his offline.

_Srkkkk. _

He didn't feel any pain.

Bumblebee opened his optics and it wide in shock about what happened in front of him.

VT-256 stood between him and Wheeljack, a blade could be seen in his torso, piercing through him.

It's like the time just seem to stop.

Bumblebee almost saw the smile behind the vehicon's mask. "You saved…my life. Now I save yo…"

The sentence was cut off by a blade was pulled out from his body hard.

The vehicon fell down to the ground. The blue light of his spark flickered one last time before it disappeared and left only darkness inside the empty body.

Bumblebee watched as the last sign of his protector's life faded away.

The vehicon…the one that supposed to be his enemy just sacrifice his life to protect him from his friend.

Something snapped in Bumblebee's mind.

He stood up slowly, didn't bother to feel the pain that the blade was still inside his stomach. He changed his hands back and grabbed the blade and pulled it out while Wheel jack readied his stance after his fail attempted to finish this fight.

Wheeljack saw the vehicon with his blade in his right hand, just pulled it out from his body.

The autobot blinked.

The vehicon was in front of him.

_Shrkkkk._

Only one blink, the vehicon rushed in faster than he could open his optic and pierced the blade through his torso, where his spark was at. He looked down at his wound then lift his face up to see his killer's red visor looking at him. The vehicon stepped back and let Wheeljack immobilized body fell to the ground. The last vision the autobot saw was the clear blue sky. His thought went to his friend, Bulk then everything went blank.

The fighting was over.

The vehicon won.

He saw a white jetcraft flew off not far away, but he didn't care.

He knew he just killed his friend, his own comrade but he didn't regret it. He only felt a satisfaction from it for complete his job, for doing what he want to do, for fighting for his now comrade.

He knew he was still the same mech inside. He was the same yellow bot that fight for whatever he think was the right thing to do. He was still would sacrifice everything to protect his friend and comrade.

But his side changed.

His decision was made. With his death blow, he couldn't turn back anymore. He couldn't get back to his old friend anymore. He made his decision from his feeling. He felt right to do this. He looked at both body on the ground and only felt sad when he looked at VT-256 lifeless body. He felt nothing when looked at Wheeljack's, even an anger was build when he look at his former comrade body. He didn't know is this a right decision or not but he couldn't ignore his feeling and choose it another way.

He chose to be decwpticon.

He chose to be a vehicon.

With his mind made out his choice, he must embraced what he was now. He let everything rushed in his mind, everything that was ST-3V3.

The precence in his mind happily handed him over everything that was him. For he knew that this former autobot would protect his friend, his comrade from now on. He knew that this mech was truly a decepticon now. Through his mind, spark and body. He knew even if he gone, everything would be alright.

Then the presence was gone.

Left only one and now owner of this body.

He opened his optics. It was like looking from a new perspective. He felt more fit in his new role. It felt like he always born with this body. All of this body's memories, data, emotion, and experiences were still inside of him, to guide him to be what he want to be.

He was still the same bot inside. He knew that and he also knew that the real owner of this body was gone, now he was alone in this body.

Now, this was his identity.

He threw the 'Bumblebee' designation away.

Now, he was ST-3V3.

* * *

Note: This is my longest chapter so far. 5,000+ words! Just thinking about it make my finger feel sore all over.

By the way, I don't have anything against Wheeljack. I just let my story flown out by it own and it end up this way so please don't be mad at me. Besides, I tried to follow the main story line with his revenge with a twist. (Maybe too much twist)

Next chapter won't be this long,(sorry for my laziness) I need a break and I feel sleepy.


	14. the news

"Are you sure you're okay Arcee?" asked the human child that was driving a blue motorcycle.

A bike's light flickered. "Don't worry about me Jack. I just need some chill out then I will be back at my best."

They were driving along the road near their base. Arcee said that her head still felt dizzy from the impact so she asked Jack to take her for drive to let the wind blow off her headache. Jack always enjoy spend time with her and he want her to feel better so he agreed and drove her off the base. They had been driving for at least an hour now. Arcee's head felt better but his bum hurt like hell for sitting far too long.

"Err…Arcee, are you feeling any better? Can we get back to the base?"

"Oh, you can't take this lady anymore, can you?" said the motorcycle.

Jack let out his nervously smile. "I like to spend some time with you Arcee, but if I sit here any longer, my butt will turn into a liquid."

Arcee laughed. "I'm just kidding. My headache was gone. I just wanted to test how long you can tolerance for driving."

"Then, we are going back to base right?" asked the human teen.

"Yeah."

Then a white jetcraft flew pass above their head. The wind almost blew both of them away from the road. They looked at the way it went to.

"Is that Wheeljack's ship?" Asked Jack.

The motorcycle wheel continued rolling to their destination. "Yes. Look like he come back in a hurry."

"Maybe something was going on. Better be hurry back to the base too." Jack grabbed the handle harder for he knew what gonna happen.

"So may I?" asked Arcee, tried her best to sound innocently.

"Go ahead." Said Jack. "My bum already hurt, why not all my body?"

The handle twist itself. The motorcycle increased her speed till Jack's head lean back by the wind. He adjust himself lean down to the bike so the wind didn't blowing him too much and used all of his muscle strength not to fall off the vehicle.

With that speed, they were back in front of the base in no time. They drove in and stopped in main room. Jack get off then Arcee changed back to her original form. They looked around and immediately saw that there was definitely something going on here.

Miko was crying.

She sat on a couch, surround her were Optimus and Ratchet. They all knew that the girl was hard as an iron. The thought about seeing her tears never get in their minds. To saw them now, something bad must be happened.

"Breath slowly. Don't say anything till you ready." Said Ratchet. "Oh jack, great you come back. Can you please hand her a glass of water? My hands are too big for human tools."

Jack still confused about what's going on, did at what he been told and grabbed the bottle nearby and hand it to her.

Miko, despite her trembling hands from crying, grabble the bottle but didn't drink from it. She just hold it in her hands, squished it hard. "I…should…He…I…can't." the words came out of her mouth, illegible.

"Don't say anything. Breath first." Said Ratchet.

She stopped talking then focused hard on breathing. She inhaled then exhaled slowly till her breathing rate came back to normal. Her eyes still were leaking tears but she brush them off then continued her talking. "I'm sorry."

The cybertronians and one human looked at each other then turned their gaze back to a crying girl.

"Sorry for what?" Asked Jack.

Miko sobbed. "I let him died."

Once again, everybody around her turned their heads to look at each other's then turned back at the sobbing girl.

"What? Who died?" Asked Ratchet.

Her head lower down, avoid eyes contact with everyone around her. "Wheeljack, he been killed by the vehicon who made you retreat back to base before."

All the autobots include Jack gasped at what she said. Their faces shown their shocking from the news then following with sadness. "H…How?" asked Optimus. "How did he died?"

"We took his ship off the base not long ago." Answered Miko. "We wanted to take a revenge on what happened to Bulk, we wanted to see the mech who did this offline. When we got there, luckily the decepticon didn't move their base after the attack, Wheeljack told me to be inside his ship, not going out. I tried to protest but he made his words clear by lock me in his ship. He told me if anything happened to him, pressed the blue button and it would bring me back to base then he went off assault on those vehicon around the mine. He took them off like an adult play with children, vehicon were offline one by one. Finally, that vehicon came. He rushed in and attack on Wheeljack. They fought hard…he fought hard. He almost got killed by one point and I was going to push the red button to shoot blaster cannon at the vehicon to protect him but he didn't need that help. He gained his opportunity and stabbed the vehicon then kicked him off. He walked in to finish his job but some vehicon get in his way first then that vehicon stood back up and then…then…" Her words was cut off by her sobbing.

"What happened to him?" asked Ratchet.

She brushed off her tears and slowed her breathing. "He stood up and they both look at each other. It was so fast. I didn't even see him move. I didn't know how he did it but it was like he was there then another second he was next to Wheeljack then…then the vehicon struck his blade through Wheeljack's torso." Her tears came out again. "He…He fell down to the ground, not moving. My hands still shaking on the red button. I couldn't protect him. I didn't even see his move till it was too late. Then the ship took off by itself." She brushed off her tears. "It must be Wheeljack coding it to leave if anything happen to him. I couldn't even have the chance to bring his body back here. I left him." Then she stopped and shoved her face to her hands and continued crying.

Silent.

They didn't knew what to do about this. One of them just died…never came back. They would never see Wheeljack face again. To think that someone like him offline is hard. He was a warrior, his fighting skill was in the tops of their crew. Even Jack didn't know much of the mech but he still felt sorry for what happened to him.

"It's not your fault Miko." He walked I and touch her shoulder. "If I was you, I would only have a choice only to watch it too. You did what you can and you came back told us about his lost."

The words made Miko stopped crying but continued to silently sobbing to herself.

"He's right." Said Optimus. "We couldn't risk anymore casualties." He turned to looked at Bumblebee and Bulkhead on their berths, still unconscious. "We have lost too much"

Nobody made an eyes or optics contact. They all knew that their situation right now was not pretty. They just lost one of their own comrade, other two were still in stasis, so there were only three of autobots left now. So many thing happened and most of them…all of them were bad. The sadness still clang in the air. They just need something…some good news, only one to cheer them up, to take their spirits back and move forward to protect what was left.

"Aww…My shoulder…it's hurt." A voice appeared from the berth.

Everyone turned to look at the voice's owner. The big green mech was trying to sit back up, used only his left hand to push himself up. His wound hurt too much to even try moving his right arm. The thing that surprise him was not his wound, it was that everyone around him were looking at him eith their eyes/optics wide open. They all looked at him like he had a firecracker boomed behind his back.

"Bulk…"

He searched for who called out his name and it made him surprised, almost shock again when he saw Miko slowly approach him, her eyes leaking tears.

"Bulk!"

Then she ran into him. Hugged his left hands like it could disappear every minutes and crying like it was the end of her world. The only thing he could do was send his question look toward the others in the room.

"Did I miss something?"

* * *

A chill sent down his spine while the medic was fusing his wound back up to normal. Even he been given with a sedate, the pain was still there only lesser. The wound was a hole pierced through his body that means Knockout would have to stictch him up from the inside out, change the organ that was damaged and finally patched him up. Needless to say that how hard he tried not to let out his voice out in pain.

Knockout expected that this mech would cried his spark out with the operation but even with his torture part skill, the mech wouldn't let out any single word. If it was another vehicon, they would shout at him to stop, beg him to end their pain. But rhis vehicon was…different. He knew from the word around the base that this mech was indeed the one that drove off the autobot back to their base and if he heard it correctly, this vehicon also offline one of the autobot warrior in a battle one on one. He scanned the body to remember the designation. Ahh…ST-3V3. Interesting…very interesting.

ST-3V3 felt the operation had stopped. He looked down at his wound and saw it had already patched up. He sat up slowly, didn't want to open his wound. He turned to talk to the medic beside him. "Thank you, sir." His rank was only a lesser soldier so it would impropriate to address Knockout by his designation.

Knockout face frown. "Thank you? I never heard of that word since … cause of my painful method but effective of course." He leaned forward to inspect ST-3V3 closer. "Interesting. Your body told me that it had been used in a weird way. Not any damage had been show but I know when it happen. You used your body in a way that it never been used before. It liked you just done a hard exercise."

ST-3V3 made his face showed no emotion by those words. "What do you mean, sir? Is it lethal?" He decided to playing dump with the question.

The medic not satisfied by that answer. "I already told you that it didn't show any damage but the formation of your structure had changed to synch up with your new movement. It only a little but with my professional skill I can tell the different. If you can't understand what I just said, it means your change is not lethal. You can continue your drone life with no worry. Just don't overdo yourself too much and end up here again." Knockout turned to continue with his other patient but turn his head back to ask one last question. "By the way, where did you learn those new moves from? Did one of officer teach you?"

ST-3V3's circuit ran hot for forming a lie. If he told that no one was teaching him, his suspicious might grew and tried to pry into his servo to learn his secret. "Officer Soundwave, sir. He taught me how to improve my fighting skill."

"Soundwave?" Now that the mech that Knockout didn't want anything to do with. "That Soundwave decided to teach somebody? That is hard to…"

The med bay door opened, standing there was the dark blue mech that appeared in their conversation. Knockout immediately lost his word by his surprise of the communicator presence. Soundwave tilted his head to the medic in a way of him to asking about what were they talking about him.

"Oh Soundwave, didn't expect to see here. What the devil bring you down to the med bay?" Knockout let the question out from his nervousness.

The dark blue mech only looked at the medic in silent, waiting for the answer from his question.

The red aston martin knew what that expression mean. "We were just talking about your student here. He told me that you taught him how to fight is it true?"

Soundwave turned his visor to look at ST-3V3 optics. The vehicon felt his spark hotter from his worry that Soundwave might told him everything.

"Correct." Said the silent type, and with that answer made ST-3V3 let out his sigh of relief.

Knockout's optic wide out for the answer. "You actually taught him? Wow, if your teaching is this much good, you should think about training all of the vehicons."

"Sounwave's business, not Knouckout's." said Soundwave with his emotionless voice.

The medic stopped his babbling mouth at those words.

And came after that was an awkward silent.

Silent that mean Soundwave want Knockout to leave them alone.

"Fine, I have a patient to take care anyway." Then the medic walked of the room.

"Why are you coming here?" ST-3V3 began his question immediately after the red mech left the room.

Soundwave's visor show the sound wave as he played the record voice, it was the voice of Megatron. "Soundwave, bring me that vehicon to command center. I have something to talk about what he did."

Even how terrified Megatron want his presence show to him, he knew that the command could be sent through his radio, Soundwave didn't have to come here by himself. "And?"

Soundwave answered with his voice. "Laserbeak: want to speak with you." Then the symbiote detached himself from Soundwave's chassis and flew down landing near ST-3V3's medical berth.

The bird looked at his wound then looked up to his face. "Are you okay, Bumblebee?"

"The wound already healed so don't worry." He said smiling behind his mask. "And please, don't call me 'Bumblebee' anymore. I'm ST-3V3 now."

Laserbeak tilted his head. "Why?"

"Bumblebee doesn't kill his own comrade. He doesn't kill his friend, autobot in cold blood." He reached up his hands to inspect it. "With these hands I offline one of the autobots and felt only satisfaction from it. I don't deserve with that designation anymore. I am only a vehicon of the decepticon, ST-3V3."

"So you did kill Wheeljack." Said the former human.

ST-3V3 nodded.

"I feel sorry for him." The bird moved his wing to touch at the vehicon's hand. "And I know you feel bad for what you did too."

"I already told you that I felt good when I killed him." Said ST-3V3.

"Then why your voice sounds like you are going to cry?" Laserbeak said back. "Why you seem like you force yourself to mutter those words out?"

The vehicon lowered his head, avoid his optic contact with his friend. "That's the problem. I felt both of them. I felt great when I stabbed the blade through his body. I felt sad when I looked at his lifeless spark on the ground. And the feeling of satisfaction exceed my sadness. In conclusion, I felt good for killing Wheeljack."

"But you still felt bad for it." The symbiote moved to look at his optics again. "Beside you did what you had to, you protect all of those vehicons' lifes."

"It felt so right." Said ST-3V3, more likely to himself. "Both part of me, Bumblebee and ST-3V3, felt right to protect them. To fought off my former friend to protect my former enemy. To killed my own comrade."

"And I believe you did the right thing." The symbiote's optics shown his truthfulness. "No matter what happens, friends will always beside you, remember?"

"Yeah." ST-3V3 let out his smile a bit. "Thanks for always believe in me. That means a lot."

"So ST-3V3, will you report yourself to Lord Megatron? It's not a good thing to keep him waiting you know?" said the bird symbiote.

"I will move out immediately, sir." The vehicon stood up from his berth, ready for the day to work for his new side.

Laserbeak's face frown. "I already told you, not to be formal with me."

ST-3V3 laughed. "I couldn't help it, sir. It's in my code."

"And laughing is appropriate?"

"That's for we are friends, sir." Answered ST-3V3. "And will always had been."

Laserbeak turned his head away, but ST-3V3 saw a bit of the bird's smile on his face. The symbiote flew off and attached back to Soundwave's chassis. He walked to the communicator officer. "Lead the way, sir"

Soundwave tilted his head for that sound almost like he was commanding him, but he brush it off away. The dark blue mech began to bring the vehicon to his leader to talk to.

When they arrived, Megatron already was waiting for them on his throne. ST-3V3 nervously looked at his new lord. He remembered the time when he had to spend his time with the decepticon warlord in his mind. That time he scared him to death that he might hurt his friend but in the end, all Megatron wanted was only to come back to his own original body. Now he was working for him…against his former comrades.

"Finally, you are here." Said Megatron. "I heard many things about what you did, ST-3V3."

"I'm here to report by your command, my lord." He let out this body's instinct did the talking. "What can this vehicon accomplish for your need?"

"I'm not wanting anything from you right now." Those words made ST-3V3 curious grew, what was his lord calling him for? "I just want to talk to you about what you did."

"Did I have done something to displease you, my lord?" asked the vehicon.

"No, instead it is the opposite." Megatron stood up from his throne and walked down to ST-3V3. "You did what I didn't expect it would come from a vehicon, you determinate one of the autobot's warrior. That prove much that you will be suitable with your new rank."

"New rank?" He said with a puzzled face.

"Yes, you heard it correctly." Said the decepticon leader. "As I am the decepticon leader, I am approving you to your new rank, an officer. Don't disappoint my decision, vehicon."

Then the warlord turned back to sit on his throne.

Left ST-3V3 with his mouth gasping about his elevation.


	15. the new wave

The autobot base was many things, but right now the word 'lively' wasn't in it.

The sadness atmosphere could be felt in the air. The dead of Wheeljack still haunted their mind. Usually in the same old days, Bumblebee and Bulkhead would play some catch and throw a metal ball at each other, Ratchet would try to fix something and complain about his lack of tools, Arcee would practice her fighting skill nearby, Optimus would stand in front of the screen to think about their next move and all of the humans would playing some game on the couch.

In present, Bumblebee was in stasis in the main room, Ratchet was standing in front of his workbench not doing anything, Arcee was standing still in the center of the room, Optimus was checking on everyone every minutes like he scare that one of them might disappear at any time, The humans were sitting on a couch looking to a blank TV screen not motivated enough to play with no one switch in and Bulkhead was checking his blaster cannon on his arms.

He check it again and again.

It was almost thirty times now.

He continued to polish it even though there's no problem with it. Even how much it's shinning, his optics looked totally shallow. He just did this for distract his mind to not thinking about his friend. He control his mind to focus at his repeatedly activity.

Polishing.

Checking

Polishing.

Checking.

…..

Then a warning siren broke his routine. His optics snapped up for suddenly warning. Bulkhead walked up to meet with everyone next to the monitor. The screen shown the picture of the falling meteorite through earth's atmosphere…no… the picture of a falling cybertronian escape pod.

"What is its signature Ratchet?" asked Optimus.

The medic entered a command to verify the code that emitting from the pod. "The signal frequency is showing that it match ours, he is one of us Optimus."

"Then we have to hurry and get to the landing point before any decepticon can." Said Optimus.

"Wait!" All of them turned to look at the one who shouted the word, Jack. "What if it is one of the decepticon trap? They already used this kind of trick before when they sent their unit to impersonate Wheel…" He stopped in his mid-sentences but the damaged was done. Everybody face fell down a little when he mention that name.

Optimus broke a silent. "I understand the risk, but we also can't leave the possibility of our comrade might really need our help. Even if it is really a trap, we must take it."

"He's right." Said Bulkhead, ready his blaster cannon on his arms. "We can't stand here and doing nothing. We must strike or let them strike us first."

"I just want you guys to be careful." He looked at Miko and she nodded at him. "Miko and I will stay at the base, don't want to be liability there."

"We will be back as soon as we can." Said Arcee. "Maybe we when we come back, we might have some friend come with us too."

Jack smiled to her. "Good luck."

She nodded in acknowledgement then went back to her crew.

"Autobot transform and roll out!" shouted Optimus.

Then all of the robots went through the blue portal, left two human teens behind them.

* * *

ST-3V3 was taking cover behind a rock, a blaster bullets flew pass above his head. He couldn't try to change a cover or returning a fire because he was outnumbered and his attackers switching fire when one of them was out of ammo so basically he was in an endless rain of bullets.

He still remembered the event that lead him to this.

_After his promotion had been acclaimed, a warning siren appear around the base. _

_"What is it, Soundwave?" asked megatron from his throne._

_Soundwave's visor changed color and shown a picture of a falling escape pod through the earth's atmosphere._

_The decepticon leader tapped his chin, interesting at what happened. "Is it one of ours?" _

_The communicator chief shown the big red X mark on his visor._

_"So it is one of the autobots then." The warlord turned his head to talk with his new officer. "Perfect timing. I actually want to know what you can do with my own optics. Think that this is a test for you to prove if you are really suit for your new rank. Soundwave will record your performance and show it to me." _

_The dark blue mech nodded in acknowledge his leader command. His chassis move and Laserbeak detached himself from Soundwave then flew above ST-3V3 head._

_"Laserbeak will provide as a recorder. Do well and always keep in mind that I am watching you. Your objective is to eliminate the newcomer and many Autobot as you can. You can bring many vehicons as you want to finish your job. Dismiss" _

_The only thing ST-3V3 could do was nodding his head in agreement and left the base to do his job._

With a second thought, he should bring some vehicon to assist him. He didn't want to bother his new friend and risk their life because of him so he decided to come alone.

Ahh…how stupid that was of him.

Sure, his friends might not had to risk their life into danger but now his life maybe the one that could lost its spark. When he came to the location of the crash site, the autobots was already there, helping the newcomer out the escape pod. They noticed him immediately and started shooting at him. He was outnumbered by 5 to 1 so he had no option other than let the rock between him and his attacker to be his cover and protect his life.

He moved his head low to avoid the blaster shot that pierced through his cover. ST-3V3 tried to look for an escape path but found none. Only thing that could be consider as his backup was the bird symbiote that flew high above his head, too high for the autobots to lock on to him and shot him down.

ST-3V3 let out his sigh in defeat. He knew that Laserbeak was trying to help him but because of his lack of fire power and too fragile body, if he came down to help it would end up in a way that ST-3V3 will be the one that have to help him instead. He was too far away from his base so the thought about backup was totally cut off from his mind. He was the one that bring this mess to himself so he must be the one that deal with it.

Among the sound of flying bullet, he heard a movement came closer to him. Look like they thought it was the time to end this. He knew what would happened next, he couldn't move or change his cover due to their pressure on him then someone would use this opportunity to ambush his on his side and shot him to a scrap. That would be the exact same thing that will happen…if he stay exactly at the same place that is.

ST-3V3 charged his blaster cannon on his right arm, aimed at the rock that was his cover. The sound of footstep told him that the mech moved to his right side, readied to rush in and attack waited till the sound got closer…closer…closer…

Then he fired.

The impact made the rock blasted to pieces. Each of its fragment flew to all of his attackers made them stagger from the impact of many tiny rocks. The blast also provide a smoke of sand to cover his body enough to let the autobot couldn't aimed at him fast enough. Their surprised made them vulnerable for a second…and a second could change many things.

ST-3V3 saw the mech that tried to ambush him not far away. It was a newcomer with a white and blue armor tint. He rushed in and changed his left arm into a sword. In a war, he couldn't have any hesitation. He ran his blade to slice at the mech's torso. In a mere second the hunter became the prey and now the white blue mech's energon was all over on his blade.

The wound wasn't deep enough to offline the mech's spark. The vehicon's face frowned under his mask. He knew that his blade should slice this mech in half but it like something in the mech's body that prevent his blade to went in any further. He jumped back to avoid the attempt to counter his attack by a blaster shot. The bullet missed his helm by a little and left a black burning color on his left cheek. He backed away so till he was out of their shooting range.

He looked around his surrounding to consider his next move. He was still outnumbered and they also had their prime with them. His optics looked at his once leader with no emotion. He already made his decision and he would never regret what he had choose. The autobots…his old friends was still important to him but not as much as his new side. He would kill them with no hesitation if he need to but right now he was unmatched to them. The only option he had was to fall back. He looked at that certain blue mech again in his curiosity. He was pretty sure that he pushed enough weigh on his blade to slice that robot in half. He used his scanner zoomed into that wound and saw something that was really out of the place. It looked like some kind of fragment that not matching the material the mech should have. Even the outer armor of the mech was scared with many bruises, that certain object didn't have any dent shown on it, despite his attack.

But enough with this little thing, he didn't have time to waste and let the autobot to be ready and decide to bring him down. He used his chance while the smoke was still in the air to change into his alt mode and ran off back to base. Laserbeak flew leading above him, working as his navigator. Bullets flew passed him as he running away but he lost them with no afford. He let the sand hided him from their view till he was out of their radar. After that there was nothing between hin and his new home.

* * *

"The result was not the one I commanded you." The warlord said above in his throne. His words shown that he wasn't pleased with the vehicon's handiwork. His red optics filled with fury that could be unleashed anytime.

ST-3V3 was bowing his head down on the ground. "I'm sorry for my failure to complete the task, my lord. Please, punish me as you seem fit." He used the words that he always uses when he displease some of the officers.

Megatron didn't walk down to kick him in the head or shout in angry to bring him to prison, instead the decepticon leader's red optic seem to loss its own rage. The tense body lax down comfortably on the throne. "I didn't say you did it bad." ST-3V3's optics wider in surprise from his lord's words. "In fact, you surprised me for went fighting against 5 autobots and still survived to come back report to me, not to mention that prime also in that number. The only thing that you disappointed me was not bringing any vehicon with you to assist. If you did, I'm sure that all of the autobot would end up by your hands already. Such a waste of opportunity."

"It was my own stupid pride that wronged me not to bring any help sir." ST-3V3 said in shame. "It blinded me to think that you want me to deal with this alone."

"Don't let your stupidity disappoint me again." Megatron said with his annoying look. "I don't want only to see your strength but your intelligent as well. I don't want to see a mindless muscle to be an officer."

The vehicon didn't believe his own luck. Did Megatron really let him go? "I'm grateful for your mercy, my lord. I will never disappoint you ever again."

"At least you did injure the new comer. Soundwave, do you know his designation?" Megatron asked his communicator chief.

Soundwave's visor shown a replay of ST-3V3 interaction with the white and blue mech. "Designation: Smokescreen. Rank: Rookie. Last seen: Cybertron." ST-3V3's body always chilled when he heard that emotionless voice.

"He got something interesting in his body." Megatron looked closer to the video that Laserbeak had record. He turned to talk with the vehicon below him. "I'm certain that this thing was protecting him from your killing blow."

"I was sure that my blade should cut him to offline but that thing reflect my blade off. Maybe it is some kind of new armor perhaps?" ST-3V3 made his suggestion.

Meatron shook his helm. "Impossible. There tech is at the same level with ours and beside I never anything like this in my life. But something about it look so…ancient. I will let this matter to you, Soundwave. Take a research on this and report to me if you find anything."

The dark blue mech nodded in acknowledge the command then left the command center to do his assignment.

"And for you." Megatron turned his attention back to the bowing vehicon. "I will give you a new objective. Don't fail me yet again."

"I won't, my lord."

"Good." ST-3V3 sensed that he retrieve coordinate of a location through his comlink. "The human discovered what we believe is a red energon." A red energon? A very rare energon which give the cosumer a god like speed that almost make the time itself stand still? "Such a supply that will greatly aid our cause should not be ignored. Retrieve it to prove your worthiness to me."

"Consider it done." Then he left with no question ask.

* * *

"What with that vehicon? He moved like a freaking ninja!" acclaimed the white blue mech that was still be performed a surgical on him.

"Stay still, Smokescreen." Shouted Ratchet with his tool trying to fix the mech's wound. "Or I promise you that the next time you move, this thing will be the one that struck through your own spark chamber."

That sentence made the mech shut his mouth and stop complaining.

"That is the one that almost killed me…that killed Wheeljack." Said Bulkhead, more like speaking to himself.

An awkward sad atmosphere filled the room.

"So…" Arcee tried to find the topic to break this silence. "Do you know what this thing is?" She pointed at a strange black fragment that was inside Somescreen's chassis till Ratchet decided to bring a foreigner object out. "Is it a new shield or something? It did protect you from that vehicon's slice though."

Smokescreen shook his head. "I don't remember anything about it or how it get into my body. Actually I know it exist just when you bring it out."

The autobots inspect the fragment on the bench. Even its own unique structure that all told them that it a work made by a cybertronian but none of them could tell what it made for.

"I will move this in storage room." Said Optimus. "Till someone can notify its use, better to keep it in a secure place."

"Agreed." All of them said in unison.

And with that the strange piece that was inside Smokescreen been kept safely in a safe inside a storage chamber…for now.

* * *

_Do you think he will be okay?_ a voice rang in their mindscape.

_Designation? _Soundwave said back to his symbiote through their connection.

_Bumblebee, will he be okay? _Laserbeak said with his uncertain voice._ I mean…everything happened so fast…too fast for anyone could handle. Just a day ago he was here to help me then…it looked like he was forced to change side and work with decepticon…with us._

Soundwave moved his hand and placed it on his chassis. He felt his bird's feeling calm down by his touch. _ST-3V3: will be fine. Megatron: didn't mad at him._

_I didn't mean to ask about that. _Said the symbiote. _I mean did he really alright with his decision. He had to fight with his old comrade to protect those vehicons. Did he actually okay with that?_

Soundwave continued to pet his bird on his chassis. _ST-3V3: Already told you that he did what he felt right. He decided to help decepticon and fight the autobot. From checking his voice's pattern prove that he told the truth. He felt fine with his decision._

Laserbeak sighed in his mind. _I think you're right. By the way what are you working with on the screen?_

Project: Soundwave.

Current status: 46%

_Geez. What kind of people name his own project after his designation? _Said the symbiote.

_Scientist. _Soundwave said it out like it was a fact.

Laserbeak couldn't find anything to protest that. _Well…you got me there. Anyway, is this project important?_

He sent a comfort feeling to his symbiote. _Yes._

Current status: 47%

_A very important project. _

* * *

Note: Sorry for a late update. I decided to waste my life replay some of my old games. Damn you Skyrim, why are you so much fun!

Anyway, I think this is the hardest chapter I ever write. Maybe because it was the chapter that connect the beginning and the end of the story?

Yeah I already decide how this story will end.

And I already have many ideas for another stories too but I will not start it till this story finish. I'm scare that if I start a new story, I will lose a motivation to continue this story through the end.

Hope that will never happen and maybe next chapter will come sooner than this one?

MAYBE?


	16. the prime and his scout

At some kind of shipping industry, a dark purple vehicon alt-mode drove itself pass the front gate. Its front light flicker left and right to survey the place. The car change back into a robot form, his blaster aimed at a frightening darkness that surround him. His red optics scan the place with suspicious.

_Weird. _ST-3V3 thought to himself. _Nobody here, even a worker. _

He moved quietly pass many containers around him. While he was searching for any possible ambush, he also scanned inside every containers that he pass, searching for red energon. He must finished his objective as fast as possible. He didn't like the look of this at all, it was too quiet.

Then he heard an incoming vehicle.

He hide behind the container and take a peek to look at a newcomer. It was a truck…a certain blue and red truck with an autobot insignia in the front.

_What is Optimus doing here? _ST-3V3 readied his weapon. _He must also follow the trail of red I have to fight him? Am I really want to? Can I beat the prime? _

Before any of those question get any answer, he felt a tingling sensation all over his body.

A feeling of being scanned.

_Scrap! He found me! _ST-3V3 didn't wait to let the other can change to his robot form, he fired his blaster cannon at the truck.

Wheel burned under the huge vehicle from an acceleration. The truck drifted to his left side to dodge the incoming blast. The truck leap into the air and change into the robot form of Optimus Prime. His blaster aimed at the way the attack came from.

"Such an honor to be the opponent of the prime himself." ST-3V3 said while charging his blaster, tried to bring the other's attention elsewhere till the charging is finish. "Tell me, what bring you here far from the battlezone or your autobot's friends."

"You speak like you know where they are." Optimus being the prime for nothing, he knew that the vehicon was delaying the time. He also began to charging power into his weapon. "But even you really DO know, I will make sure they are safe from any decepticon like you!."

"Protective type, aren't we?" ST-3V3 felt a sad emotion grew in him. Their reason to fight was the same, to protect their comrade. Even though that his former leader didn't relize that he was fighting his own comrade…his former comrade.

Optimus noticed the down look of the vehicon. "What? My words got your tongue?" But those expression seem so familiar, the way he look down in guilty like he was doing something wrong.

"Keep your confident to yourself, Prime." ST-3V3 shook his head to push his feeling away. He had to stay with his own decision. He already decide to fight for those vehicon. No matter what his opponent will be. He aimed his glowing blaster at his former leader's head, Optimus also raised his cannon up to match his enemy. Optics met optics, no words, no starting sigh. They fired.

Booom!

The two energies met between them, created an explosion that push both of them into the metal container behind. Both cybertronians didn's have any major damage, only some dizziness from the impact.

ST-3V3 slid his body to the left, let the mountain of metal be his cover. He knew he couldn't fight the prime head on, it would be a suicide. He must thought out some plan quickly but before he could think of anything, he had to move his blade arm upward to counter the incoming attack.

The container that was his cover was slid into two pieces. Optimus had jumped above and pierced his blade through his cover. If ST-3V3 didn't move his own blade to protect him just in time, he would end up like those containers.

The impact of Optimus's blade sent him flew back to the shore. He recovered himself before fell down into the sea then ran in circle around his opponent. ST-3V3 decided to use his superior speed to outmatch the autobot. He ran and used the remaining container as blind sight. Optimus tried to not lose the vehicon from his optics but cause of such a super speed, he lost the sight of him.

The prime didn't let his nervousness came to destroy his calm. He used his own experience from many battles to think his way out of this situation. What would you do when fight with an enemy that hidden himself? Easy, force that con out of his hole.

Before he came here to obtain red energon, he already inform agent Fowler to clear people out of this place so he didn't have to worry about any casualty from crossfire. He began to fire at every container, destroy the vehicon's possible cover one by one. But this wasn't only one of his attention, he also intend to let it seem like he let his guard down behind his back, to lure the vehicon out of his nest.

Correct as his expectation, the con grab his bait and rushed in from behind him. He smiled to himself inside his battle mask. _Too naïve._

The Autobot leader turned his body and swift his blade, aimed at the incomer's helm for a counterattack.

_Clang_

Blade met with blade.

Wide optics of the prime met a fiercely visor of the vehicon.

Optimus now knew why such a vehicon could take down his warrior so many times.

ST-3V3 pushed the weight of both blades down to the ground and used it to lift him up above. He spin in the air and lashed his blade down with all of his power and the earth's gravity.

_Clang._

But it wasn't fast enough to not let Optimus punched at the side of his blade arm to divert it to another direction. ST-3V3 lost his momentum and couldn't dodge the incoming kick. The heavy metal feet sent him fly away from its owner. He flipped in midair then landed down and readied his blade in a fighting position.

Prime didn't take risk this dangerous enemy to be prepare, he fired his blaster, aimed at the vehicon's very own spark.

ST-3V3 dove to his right, dodge the blue energy just in time then return his fire.

It hit the bot in the chassis but because of not charging it, it didn't do a lot of damage, but enough to stun a prime for a second.

And that was all he need.

He didn't have enough time to charge for his next fire so he readied his right arm blade and rushed into kill the prime.

The blade sliced.

He aimed at his neck.

Instead it met with his shoulder pad.

The prime moved it up to protect his neck.

He knew which way his blade would come.

And it stuck midway before it could reach any vital point.

ST-3V3 turned his visor to look at the other's optics.

He could see his fear mirrored from it.

He felt a movement below, the blaster cannon aimed at his abdominal armor.

Then the next thing he felt was he flying away.

And a crash.

His visual was hazy. A red warning appear in his code. It shown that the damage was severe, his internal circuit was burned down at 3 degrees. He moved himself, trying to stand up. His body cried out in protest with its own red windows, but somehow he managed to stand up in the end.

It didn't hurt just at his stomach, all part of his body was hurt like hell. It's like his injury traveled through his circuit and sent the pain all over it, but it also was the pain that reminding him he was alive. He knew that shot suppose to kill him if it was charging to full power. Guess Optimus didn't want to risk the chance that he might dodge that after all.

ST-3V3 looked at his opponent and question himself that why the bot didn't come in to finish the job. At first glance, he got his answer.

The prime also didn't look good either. His wound was less than him but it was a major one that might affect the outcome of this battle. When his blade ran through his shoulder pad, it had to cut off some important cable in him because now his left arm look like it been cut off of power. It hang limpsy beside his body. Only his right blaster arm aimed at him.

And it was charging.

ST-3V3 with some of miracle, used all his will to move his body out of the incoming blast shot. But he couldn't possibly dodge the explosion that came after.

_Boom!_

Ant the blast sent him flying away…again. His body rolled along the ground. This time he didn't bother tried to stand up anymore. His body didn't allow him anymore.

He heard a footstep coming to him.

By all of his protest, now his body allow him to turn his head for looking at his supposed to be murderer.

At least he didn't have to be in this war anymore.

_Bam!_

A blaster shot impact at Optimus left chest pad, opened his wound wider and also surprised him enough to not notice any other coming shot.

_Bam! Bam! Bam!_

It was like looking the dramatic hero fallen to the ground. Even he been shot at three more times, he only let his knee touch the ground, not his body. The blue energon rush through his wound out in the air. Both of the autobot and vehicon turn their head to look at the attacker.

"I expect so much from the prime." A sneer sound came from a certain white seeker mech. "Only to be disappoint that he got injure by only a drone."

The word 'drone' set something off in ST-3V3 circuit. It triggered some awful memory in his data. A memory that he had been treat like an inanimate object. Like he had no life at all. A hatred to his former second commander build in his mind.

"What are you doing here Starscream?" Optimus tried to not leak an energon from his mouth. "Are you here to help him? I thought you was not a decepticon anymore."

"Oh Optimus, this has nothing to do with the decepticon at all." The screamer laught. "In fact, I feel grateful for you to destroy this puppet out of my way…barely."

That again, a feeling of hatred built from only just a word. 'puppet' which means that they have no heart, no feeling just an empty toy for them to mess with.

ST-3V3's hatred changed into rage.

"By the way…" The seeker walked to one of the damage cargo. "Both of you must had put your mind in to this fight a lot to not notice this treasure among these fire." Then he grabbed and shown them what happened to be some kind of red crystal.

A red energon.

"At first I plan to use this." He grabbed the plate out from his back, it was the Apex armor. "To kick both of your ass to offline but why not just enjoy the show while you two busy with trying to kill each other? It would be more enjoyable if all of this didn't end so fast."

Optimus coughed out his energon. "So that was your plan? Ambush us while fighting then grab a red energon the get away?"

Starscream smiled, but not in a friendly way. "That is actually all of it, but now I am considering another option." The seeker raised his arm, aimed his cannon at Prime's head. "Why not take a chance to kill one such a prime?"

As both them talked with their pointless conversation, inside ST-3V3's mind was running through a memory with this seeker mech.

The time when he commanded his friend to their demise.

The time he saw Clifjumper's body left ruin by his hands.

The time tortured them for not acted against their lord.

The time when he sold his location to M.E.C.H. result in his capture.

The time he saw this seeker kick his friend's corpse like it was a broken toy.

The time he almost destroy his T-cog, scared him to death for he couldn't change to his alt mode.

His rage turned into furious.

And he used that furious as energy to move his broken body standing up. All of the seeker's attention was at the prime so he didn't notice an angle of death appeared behind him.

Starscream smiled.

Optimus returned his smiled.

A red visor glowed.

A blade sliced down.

There was no word, only a thump to the ground from a two pieces metal body. Screamer didn't even realize what happened and didn't know why he was offlined. His spark was gone before he could see or learn anything at all.

Only silent remained.

ST-3V3 look down at the sparkless body in disgust. He grabbed red energon from a dead seeker's hand. A red crystal shined with the light of fire that surround them. The vehicon turned his attention back to the autobot leader. Optimus still down on his knee, energon was leaking out of his wound and mouth. ST-3V3 wouldn't ever imagine to see such state from his former leader at this. But then he look at himself, his wound didn't look good either. He would be offlined already if Starscream didn't interfere.

_As I thought, fight the prime would be a suicide for me. _ST-3V3 thought to himself. _Now, what will I do next?_

He inspect the almost offline autobot in front of him.

Optimus closed his optics, readied to embrace his own fate.

_Do I have to kill him? _He questioned himself. _Do I really want to? _It was the question that he already knew the answer.

And It was no.

He didn't wasn't to hurt anyone, especially the one that was his friends. He just want this meaningless war to end as fast as possible. They all had the right reason to begin this war but Cybertron was all ready gone. Their fight had no purpose in it anymore, just a massacre and revenge.

_But if I kill him, this war will be over._

A thought came to him and immediately he felt disgust by it. If he killed Optimus now, the autobot wouldn't surrender. He knew them better that that. They would fight till all of their spark was gone.

He couldn't kill him. The battle with him was just only his reflex and survival instinct. But when he had to put his mind through, it won't allow him to end his former leader's spark.

So he decided to turn back and left.

Left with red energon in his hand.

Left the prime with his surprise wide optics that he had been spared.

Left the glimmer plate of armor in the seeker's corpse alone.

He considered it as a parting gift.

He himself was a former autobot after all

* * *

An hour after the vehicon parted away, a blue portal appeared behind a damage bot.

"Optimus!" Ratchet rushed in to look at the wound on his leader. "How? Who did this?"

The prime spoke out slowly due to his low level energon. "I…That vehicon…Starscream."

"Wait, don't talk." The medic grabbed Optimus's right arm and pass it on his shoulder. "You can tell me what happen after I fix you. I don't want you to die out on me like some human movies."

"You watched?" asked the damage bot.

"I said don't talk!." Ratchet bring his friend to the gate.

"Wait…the Apex armor…there." He point at a certain cybertronian corpse.

"What?" Ratchet look at the way Optimus pointed at, and found Starscream's sparkless body was sliced in to half. "Is that…Starscream?" Then he saw an armor plate on the corpse, he remembered it immediately. "The Apex armor? Did the vehicon left this on purpose?"

Optimus moved his head away to avoid the other's optics. "I…don't know."

Ratchet nodded in head, understanding that his leader didn't want to talk about it right now. That suit him fine because he didn't want his patient to talk too much. He used his other hand to grab the armor up and bring his friend through the groundbridge portal.

They would be back to base in a mere second.

* * *

"You have done well." Megatron inspect the red crystal in his hand. He was sitting on his throne while the vehicon was bowing to his knee down below. "Not many of my officer that can truly accomplish my…command."

Knockout and Dreadwing step back from their lord by his glare.

Then Megatron turned his gaze back to the bowing vehicon. "From your damage frame I guess that you encounter an enemy, who was it?"

ST-3V3 didn't know if he should tell the truth but he decided to anyway. "Optimus Prime and Starscream, my lord."

The decepticon leader's optics wide in surprise. "Now you make me surprise that you actually survive and also accomplish your objective. Did you offline him?"

The vehicon knew that he ask about Optimus. "No, sir. I almost be the one that offline by his hands."

Megatron grinned at that. "As expect from the one such as the prime, but how did you survive?"

"Starcream interfered our fight." Said ST-3V3 . "He ambushed both of us and tried to obtain red energon for himself."

Megatron face frowned, his red optics began to fill with anger. "So that's how you turned the tide. Do tell me do you know where that scrap seeker had gone?"

"He was offlined by my hands, sir." Answered ST-3V3.

Now, megatron face changed from anger to stay still and unreadableemotion. Nobody knew what going on in the decepticon warlord's mind but it emit an uneasy atmosphere all around them.

Finally Megatron said. "Such a waste…if he could only know his own position."

"My lord?" asked the vehicon, began to feel that it was a bad idea to tell him about his former second in command demise.

"You did good." Said Megatron, his voice sound neutral. "You made a proof that you are really suit with your new position. Not only you survive a fight with a prime but also bring down the traitor to offline. You are now properly promote to an officer." Them he inspect the damage on his new officer's frame. "As your first order, follow Knockout and let him fix you already. I didn't want an officer to die on a first day of his commotion."

"Thank you, my lord." Said ST-3V3.

He followed the white red bot to med bay. The medic let him lay down on a berth then began to strap him for the operation.

"Before we begin, do you want to change your color?" asked Knockout.

ST-3V3 frowned behind his mask. "Why do I need to change my current color?"

"Well, you are an officer now. An officer's frame should be stand out from his follower. When he fight, his soldier will recognize him immediately and know that their officer is fighting along side them. It make their spark felt a little stronger. But right now, you look like another vehicon to me."

That's…actually was a good point. At first he was thinking about yellow but it would look too bright on this side of the war so he decided to pick up another color on his former body. "How about black?"

"Ahh a color of the death. That suit you find because since everywhere you go, there was a fallen body to the ground."

ST-3V3 didn't like that meaing at all but before he could protest anything the sedate that Knockout gave him began to show its effect. His optics began to close by itself.

"Don't worry." He heard a voice before a world of stasis embraced him. "I will polish your frame good before you wake up."

* * *

_So…will you tell me now what this project really is? _Asked the bird symbiote.

_It's a surprise. _Answer the communicator chief.

_You? Surprise? Well, that really bring down my curious. _Said Laserbeak.

_Project Soundwave: wouldn't be a surprise if you know. _Then Soundwave continued to type on his command console.

_But it is no fun that you keep all the secret to yourself. _

_Patience: is one of the skills that a good symbiote behave. _

_Geez, I'm not your pet._

_Yeah. _Soundwave moved his hand to rub on the area that supposed to be Lasebeak's head. He heard a cooed in his mindlink not long after that. _You're not._

_Umm...Great that you understand….Umm. _And the symbiote continued to lose at his creator's rubbing hand.

_Laserbeak: just have to wait till the time come. _Then Soundwave turned his attention back to the screen.

Project: Soundwave

Current status: 52%

_That time is near._

* * *

Note: Okay, first of all I am truly sorry for Starscream but if I let him live, I'm scare that he will prolong my story into an unending version, so...yeah he need to die, no personal reason at all. (finger crossed).

And second of all, I hate the Apex armor. I felt like it was a cheater equipment to be wear. Come on, it's an indestructible armor and it was so hard to put it into my story, it could affect many things.

Anyway thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad that there are people that interest into my story. I read them all and tried to use it to improve my story into a next level. (except for grammar, I'm suck at it.) I will continue this story as fast as possible and do hope that you guys still stick with me till the end.


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